I'm curious -- does he also plan on ending the US "occupation" of Japan, South Korea, and other nations where we have American troops and/or security arrangements? Or does he only want to abandon the Iraqis?

John Edwards says that if elected president he would withdraw the American troops who are training the Iraqi army and police as part of a broader plan to remove virtually all American forces within 10 months.

Mr. Edwards, the former senator from North Carolina who is waging a populist campaign for the Democratic nomination, said that extending the American training effort in Iraq into the next presidency would require the deployment of tens of thousands of troops to provide logistical support and protect the advisers.

“To me, that is a continuation of the occupation of Iraq,” he said in a 40-minute interview on Sunday aboard his campaign bus as it rumbled through western Iowa.

In other words, John Edwards has just set the surrender date for America in Iraq as Christmas, 2009. And he has told our terrorist enemies that all they need to do in the interim is lay low, so that they can then have their way in Iraq after we have abandoned the friendly government there.

Yes, John Edwards seems to have learned the lesson of Vietnam -- abandon your allies to the hands of your mutual foes.

Brian makes the following observation at HotAir.

ItÂ’s obviously not much of a real plan. We would leave Iraq before its military and security forces are ready to handle itself, which would inevitably lead to more violence, forcing us either to stand by and watch like the Clinton administration did during RwandaÂ’s worst days or get right back in and fight to get back to where we are now so itÂ’s possible to finish the job and leave Iraq stable enough to take care of itself. It makes no strategic sense but it does make some political sense. ItÂ’s an Iraq strategy thatÂ’s all about Iowa.

Sounds about right to me.

By the way -- what is the deal with the picture that goes along with the article in the NY Times?

Looks like something submitted for a high school photography class or entered in the amateur category at the county fair.

Posted by: Greg at 04:00 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Well, that's what the Rasmussen poll is saying.

The number of Americans who consider themselves to be Republicans jumped nearly two percentage points in December to 34.2%. ThatÂ’s the largest market share for the Republican brand in nearly two years, since January 2006 (see history from January 2004 to present).

At the same time, the number of Democrats fell to 36.3%. ThatÂ’s down a point compared to a month ago. During 2007, the number of Democrats has ranged from a low of 35.9% in July to a high of 37.8% in February.

These results are based upon tracking surveys of 15,000 adults per month. The margin of sampling error is less than one percentage point, with a 95% level of confidence.

And there appears to be a correlation between these changes and certain other developments. As support for the war has increased, so has the number of people identifying as Republican. On the other hand, the partisan advanteage for Democrats has decreased by 2/3 since they took over control of Congress year ago. And given the shrinking number of self-identified independents, it may be that we are seeing the return of the 2006 prodigals to the GOP and a reestablishment of normal party identification patterns.

One possible conclusion -- the more Americans see of Democrat governance, the less they like it. That party's record of negativity and failure would therefore seem likely to hurt it moving into the November elections.

H/T Captain's Quarters, Michelle Malkin, Betsy Newmark

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Posted by: Greg at 03:43 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Everyone knows that the television screen is among the most powerful marketing tools in the world today. Social scientists estimate that the average child spends over 100 hours in front of that glowing screen each week. And letÂ’s be honest -- most people consider the television to be a fine way to relax after a hard day at work. WouldnÂ’t it be great to harness the beast as an advertising tool? Of course it would be!

If you are considering advertising on television, Hawthorne Direct can help you out. They do informercials for television and other forms of mass media advertising such as direct mail, emails, and creative production of your companyÂ’s services and products.

Posted by: Greg at 03:40 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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According to terrorism experts, authorities need to be on the lookout for cases of "Sudden Jihad Syndrome" among home-grown terror cells.

Sympathy for al Qaeda has produced "sudden jihad syndrome" in domestic terror cells unaffiliated with foreign terrorists and people seeking to carry out attacks in the U.S., a law-enforcement intelligence analysis says.

The Dec. 6 report by the Texas Public Safety Department's Bureau of Information Analysis warns officials not to dismiss individual or homegrown terror cells as "wannabes," saying they pose a credible threat to homeland security.

"Oftentimes, these attackers are dismissed as suffering from mental health issues, but their own words and writings reveal an affiliation with Islamic supremacy or an affinity for Islamic extremism," said the report, which was distributed to federal, state and local law enforcement in Texas. "As a result, law enforcement should not be too quick to judge their attacks as having no nexus to terrorism."

It said they might act with the intention of eventually joining al Qaeda or the jihad movement overseas.

In other words, the writings of Islamists may be sufficient to push some susceptible individuals to act upon the ideology of Islamic radicalism expressed by terrorist groups. Having pulled an ideological justification from extremist sources, their actions should not be seen as isolated, but are instead a part of the global jihad being waged by the likes of bin Laden. In other words, look for more cases of homegrown terrorism linked by ideology, not direct command-an-control, to radical groups abroad.

Posted by: Greg at 03:18 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Growing up, finding a moving company wasn't difficult. My uncle worked as a driver for the top Moving Company on the West Coast, and so we always knew that our furniture and possessions would get the best of care.

But if you don't have a relative in the business, you would do well to check out HomeBulletin.net to help you find reputable, reliable Moving Services to get your stuff from point A to point B in good condition.

Posted by: Greg at 02:32 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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For all the Democrat talk about "disenfranchisement" when it comes to if a state attempts to impose a photo ID requirement for voting, I'm curious why none of them have taken on this manifestly unjust and disenfranchising voting system.

Because the caucuses, held in the early evening, do not allow absentee voting, they tend to leave out nearly entire categories of voters: the infirm, soldiers on active duty, medical personnel who cannot leave their patients, parents who do not have baby sitters, restaurant employees on the dinner shift, and many others who work in retail, at gas stations and in other jobs that require evening duty.

As in years past, voters must present themselves in person, at a specified hour, and stay for as long as two. And if these caucuses are anything like prior ones, only a tiny percentage of Iowans will participate. In 2000, the last year in which both parties held caucuses, 59,000 Democrats and 87,000 Republicans voted, in a state with 2.9 million people. In 2004, when the Republicans did not caucus, 124,000 people turned out for the Democratic caucuses.

And the Democrat caucus rules make dismiss such trivial concepts as "one person, one vote" in favor of a weighted voting system that allows some caucus-goers much more influence on the process than others.

While the Republican caucuses are fairly simple — voters can leave shortly after they declare their preferences — Democratic caucuses can require more time and multiple candidate preferences from participants. They do not conform to the one-person, one-vote rule, because votes are weighted according to a precinct’s past level of participation. Ties can be settled by coin toss or picking names out of a hat.

And the concerns of voters who are excluded from the process are blithely dismissed by the head of the Democrats in the state.

Scott Brennan, chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party, said the party had no responsibility to ensure that voters can caucus. “The campaigns are in charge of generating the turnout,” Mr. Brennan said, and the voters who truly care will find their way to their local caucuses.

As for Ms. Tope, the emergency room worker, “there’s always the next cycle,” Mr. Brennan said.

In other words, the Democrats will be using a system that disenfranchises the working-class, minorities, and active duty military personnel to determine the winner of their delegates -- and they just don't care. One really has to wonder how such a system survives scrutiny under the Voting Rights Act and other laws designed to protect the voting rights of all Americans.

And as for my own Republican Party (even though it has procedures and rules in place that are less burdensome and undemocratic) I urge it to explicitly reject the caucus system in future years and move to a primary election system for the selection of delegates in Iowa.

Posted by: Greg at 02:23 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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If you are in to skateboarding, donÂ’t hesitate to check out WarehouseSkateboards.com because they offer all the top skateboard brands, including products from Enjoi, Element, Blind, Zero, Flip and many, many more. It would certainly appear that theirs is one of the largest selections of any skate inventory, and they also have what you need at the lowest prices. And they make it easy to find the equipment which exactly match your demands using the easy navigation functions by brand, type and size.

WarehouseSkateboards.com offers skateboard decks, tucks, wheels, risers, and much more. You can even design your own skateboard online in minutes, by drawing from their huge selection of decks, trucks, and other parts available from the best different manufacturers. It is the cheapest possible way to purchase a complete skateboard, while getting professional grade skate gear.

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If you are looking to purchase a skateboard complete as a gift for someone, WarehouseSkateboards.com offers an amazing selection of pre-assembled skateboards. There are dozens to choose from, and many are on sale now!

You'll find lots of great skateboarding gear and accessories, not to mention cool surfing items, available at great prices. Visit the website at www.warehouseskateboards.com to see their full line of products.

Posted by: Greg at 06:06 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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That's right -- 125 years ago today the terms of the Emancipation Proclamation became effective.

On New Year's Day in 1863, the Republican Party's Emancipation Proclamation came into effect. While Republicans rejoiced, Democrat politicians and newspapers denounced President Abraham Lincoln (R-IL) for freeing slaves. Demonstrating their depravity, New York's Gov. Horatio Seymour, who would be the 1868 Democrat presidential nominee, denounced the Emancipation Proclamation as "a proposal for the butchery of women and children." The Louisville Daily Democrat called it "an outrage of all constitutional law, all human justice, all Christian feeling."

Republicans celebrated. Democrats vocally objected. And to this day, the GOP remains the party of freedom and equal rights for all Americans.

Posted by: Greg at 05:08 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I'll answer that one for you.

NO!

Only two leading Republicans have spent any time campaigning in Iowa, and the Democrats are likely to have a statistical tie between Edwards, Obama, and Clinton.

But for the leading Democrats, an inconclusive ending here would be a much more complicated result.

Because none of them would be judged a decisive loser, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Edwards and Mr. Obama would all be able to go on to the New Hampshire primary next week, no questions asked. And you can bet on this: the other Democrats in the race — Senators Christopher J. Dodd and Joseph R. Biden Jr., Representative Dennis J. Kucinich and Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico — would feel less of the morning-after-Iowa pressure to pull out.

It would be hard for any candidate to play the “I beat expectations” game and claim some sort of chimerical victory, much the way Bill Clinton proclaimed himself the winner after coming in second in New Hampshire in 1992 — although Mr. Edwards, who for much of the year campaigned in the shadow of his two rivals, would no doubt try.

“Frankly, if there’s a three-way tie, that changes the dynamics of what has been reported the entire year: that it’s a two-person race,” said Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, the Iowa campaign director for Mr. Edwards, who has put in more than a year preparing for this week. “It changes the way people look at the race, and they’ll see it as a three-way race.”

It is a good bet, in fact, that one candidate would try to claim a victory, even if it was by a single percentage point or less. Still, that is not likely to get him or her on the cover of Time or Newsweek (that would be the old-school way of measuring the political impact of winning in Iowa). The other two would be left fighting for the right of second place. And politics being politics, it is likely there would be a campaign trying to present a three-way tie as a victory.

Anything but a runaway victory for Hillary in Iowa is a loss. After all, she is the putative front runner in the race, with all the advantages that being married to the former Philanderer in Chief brings to her campaign. And if John Edwards keeps close, even running third, he can claim a victory of sorts given his relative lack of money. And for Obama, the failure to get a boost going into New Hampshire and the other early states will harm his campaign. We could see a real train wreck on the Democrat side.

On the other hand, the GOP race could be settled by February 5 -- and almost certainly following that date. But if it isn't, look for the possibility of a brokered convention in Minnesota this summer.

Posted by: Greg at 04:59 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Treat every gun like it is loaded.

These guys didn't -- and should consider themselves to be very lucky.

Two southern New Mexico men are recovering after accidentally shooting themselves while trying to trace a loaded .357-caliber Magnum as a pattern for a tattoo.

The Otero County Sheriff's Department identified the men as Robert Glasser and Joey Acosta. Both are 22.

The sheriff's department says deputies responded to the shooting in Chaparral on Thursday evening, but Glasser and Acosta were already on their way to a hospital in nearby El Paso, Texas.

Authorities say Glasser was struck in the hand when the gun accidentally went off. Acosta was hit in the left arm.

The injuries were non-life threatening.

And these idiots were lucky.

My guess -- a couple of gang bangers wanting to look tough with their own home-made tattoos. Well, now they'll have "street cred" with their bullet wounds -- as long as they leave town and head to a place where nobody knows the story of how they got shot.

Posted by: Greg at 04:42 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Withdraw.

Withdraw now.

You are not wanted on the GOP ballot.

And not just because of your tawdry affair and your continued inappropriate conduct with a staff member. After all, Bill Clinton established that it is perfectly acceptable for elected officials to use their staff to satisfy their own personal lusts. There would be no legitimate way for the Democrats to use it as an issue, especially if Hillary tops their national ticket. And while your conduct had already led me to decide that I would neither endorse you nor vote for you, I was open to your remaining on the primary ballot so that the Republican voters of Harris County could pass judgment upon your continued fitness (or unfitness) for office.

However, your comments in today's Houston Chronicle make it clear that you don't belong on the GOP primary ballot, nor on the general election ballot as the Republican nominee.

In a brief telephone interview Monday, Rosenthal acknowledged he told local TV news programs earlier in the day that the local Republican Party had never done much for him in his 2000 and 2004 election campaigns and that party leaders have become "Chicken Littles," unjustifiably fearful the scandal will damage the entire Republican roster of candidates in the county.

So your argument is that we didn't do much for you in 2000 or 2004. That's funny, I did literature drops for you. I put up signs. I called voters on your behalf. Glad to know that you don't consider that to be significant, s I won't make the mistake of doing it again.

But this also clarifies something quite important. You don't belong don't he GOP primary ballot, and you don't merit the GOP nomination. After all, the leadership of the Harris County GOP has made it clear that the Party does not want you. You have made it clear that you don't need us. That sounds like the grounds for an amicable divorce, which would take the form of you withdrawing from the primary and running as an independent.

After all, it isn't like you will be giving up anything that you consider to be a significant asset.

OPEN TRACKBACKING AT Stop the ACLU, Outside the Beltway, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, 123beta, Right Truth, Adam's Blog, Leaning Straight Up, Big Dog's Weblog, Nuke's, third world county, DragonLady's World, The World According to Carl, Pirate's Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, Stageleft, Right Voices, and Church and State, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Posted by: Greg at 04:23 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Is there a real difference between web conferencing, video conferencing and a regular old conference call? Not really, if your a customer of http://www.accuconference.com. They provide, all of those features, allowing users to get in and work on several files and folders on the same system, and providing users with an interactive web page displaying the content currently in use! Accuconference allows users to have face-to-face video/audio chat, too.

Video Conferencing becomes incredibly easy because of the website they provide for user tutorials about how to make the most out of their Accuconference subscription to make the best use of their time in the most cost effective manner possible! But to be honest, the service is so easy to use that many subscribers will find its functions to be almost intuitive in nature. And just as important, the amount of data that can be transmitted using Accuconference is really impressive compared with many other services that have lower limits on the speed at which data is sent.

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Posted by: Greg at 04:20 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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