It appears that Ken Salazar will be the next member of Obama’s inner circle to be thrown under a bus. Before we get to Mr Salazar let’s review a list of the other members of the bus club. First we have Our President’s own Grandma who he called a racist to gain favor in the African American community. Then we have his pastor whose church Obama attended for the same reason. Then he threw Rev Wright under the bus with his Grandma when he realized that “white America” wouldn’t accept a pastor that cursed America from the pulpit. Remember Arlen Spector, Here’s a man who switched parties and was promised not to be challenged in the Primary. Of course he was and when he was down and needed the Presidents help President Obama, you guessed it, threw him under the bus. Let’s not forget the situation when Obama threw police under the bus when they responded to a call about a possible break in at Henry Louis Gates house. They get there, some guy outside says he lives there but can’t prove that he does. So Our President says they acted stupidly. He even threw Israel under the bus after their soldiers responded in self defense to an attack aboard a ship illegally in their waters.

Back to Mr. Salazar he was appointed to his position by President Obama. As Interior Secretary it is his job to make sure these oil rigs don’t explode. So he should be fired. The problem is this comes after a long line of Obama appointees were tax cheats or felons. Those that weren’t were seen as partisan choices, like Leon Panetta to run the CIA. I already written about this on march 3rd if you want to read about it

The situation with the oil may have worked out differently if Obama had accepted help from the Dutch and many others that was offered immediately after the spill happened. The Dutch offered skimmers that would pick the oil out of the water. According to the AJC (hardly a conservative paper) the skimmers could have removed 4.4. million gallons of oil by now. 5 million is total have entered the gulf. That means that 88% of the oil could have been already removed from the Gulf Coast.

Instead the spill is now a crisis. I guess his instincts haven’t gotten any better in a year. However first he must show he is not to blame for the on going crisis and the best way to do that is to say that someone else is. However since Bush and Cheney have been gone for over a year it’s going to be hard to lay this at there feet. Not that he didn’t try the other night, “Over the last decade, this agency has become emblematic of a failed philosophy that views all regulation with hostility — a philosophy that says corporations should be allowed to play by their own rules and police themselves. At this agency, industry insiders were put in charge of industry oversight. Oil companies showered regulators with gifts and favors, and were essentially allowed to conduct their own safety inspections and write their own regulations.”

Seriously this man has got to quit blaming the last guy for everything that goes wrong during his administration. This is one of the reasons no one trust him anymore. That and he can’t deliver on anything he promised in the campaign. Of course most of us at this site already knew that. So since no one with a brain will believe this is the fault of President Bush he will have to find another fall guy. Mr. Salazar get ready I hear the bus coming.

go to The New Conservative for more from this author

On 60 minutes last night Obama said they he and McCain had the exact same about of executive experience. The comment comes around the 30 second mark on this video. Sorry Senator Obama, but I beg to differ.

McCain’s combat duty began in 1967 when he was thirty years old. He was almost killed later that year. Lieutenant Commander McCain was almost killed when a Zuni rocket discharged on the flight deck. Of the USS Forestal here escaped from his jet and helped another man escape before the explotion. After this tragedy McCain volunteered to serve on the USS Oriskany.

On October 26 1967 McCain went down in Hanoi and was taken Prisoner by the Viet-cong. He served two years in solidary confinement. He was offered release but refused because their were others who had been POW’s longer. August of 68 is when a prolong series of torture began. He was beaten every two hours! His injuries has left him unable to raise his arms above his head. McCain was released on March 14, 1973 after serving five and a half years has a POW.

When John McCain came back to America he received rehab for his injuries and attended the War College in 1976 he became a commanding officer of a training squad in Florida. The squad won a Meritorious Unit Commendation.

In 1977 McCain served as the Navy’s liason to the U.S. Senate According to McCain, this was the begining of McCain’s political career. McCain retired from the Navy in 1981 has a Captain. He had received 17 Millitary rewards: The Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star and Navy Commendation Medal were just a few of them.

So McCain was a Lieutenant Commander and a Captain. After receiving some comments saying this shouldn’t qualify has executive experience I thought I should find out what the responsiblities for these ranks were.

A Lieutenant Commander is a senior department officer on a large ship or shore installation. They may also be commanding officer or executive officer (second-in-command) of a smaller ship or installation. Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) is a junior officer rank, with the pay grade of O-4. Lieutenant Commander ranks above Lieutenant and below commander. Lieutenant Commander is equivalent to the rank of Major in the other uniformed services. The Lieutenant Commander is the most senior of the junior officer ranks.

Captain (CAPT) is a senior officer rank, with the pay grade of O-6. It ranks above Commander and below Rear Admiral (lower half). It is equivalent to the rank of Colonel in the other uniformed services. Navy Captains may also fill important senior staff positions or have shore based command assignments, such as commanding officer of a naval station, naval air station, naval support activities, specialized centers or commanders of test wings or training air wings.

John McCain was an officer in the U.S. navy for 14 years. He trained men and gave orders that entire time. He made decisions that other men had to follow and he had these men’s lives in his hands. Has an officer he was also responsible for setting an example for his men to follow. If that doesn’t count has executive experience I must not understand the what the term means.

I guess Obama once again forgot about McCain’s military record when he was speaking on 60 minutes. Obama seems to forget about McCain’s military record frequently. It’s come to the point I no longer believe it’s an accident. I believe that Obama is intentionally ignoring McCain’s military record because he doesn’t have one of his own.

Does not having served make someone unfit to be President? Absolutely not. Just as simply being in the military does not make someone qualified to be President. However saying someone with 14 years of executive experience in our military has the same amount of executive experience has a Freshman Senator who served has a community organizer and a State Senator is absurd. If Obama really believes McCain has no executive experience that alone should disqualify him from becoming our next President.

Looking at several polls recently it appears the generic congressional ballot which had been in favor of the democrats for all of 07 and most of 08 has tightened. Polls for most of 08 had the Democrats up double digits poised to increase their margains in the House and Senate. Their was even talk of the Democrats having a filibuster proof majority, you need 60 votes to end a filibuster. People were talking about 58 or 59 seats for the dems, throw in liberal Republicans Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins both from Maine and Gordon Smith from Oregon and you’d have all the votes you’d needed.

However, recent polls have seen Republicans surging in the Generic Congressional vote. A USA Today/Gallup poll even has it as a 50-45 edge for Republicans. Every other poll still has the Democrats up around 5 points. The RCP average has it Democrats by 4.2%. An average of all polls taken in July gave Democrats a 12 point advantage on the generic ballot question. What is causing this turn in the Polls? I believe it is the McCain pick of Palin which has united Conservatives and bought many of them who had left back to the Republican Party.

Before the Pick of Palin Obama had a comfortable lead on McCain and many Republicans were thinking of not voting at all. Obama had around an eight point lead on McCain before the convention. Of the last twenty-four polls taken before the RNC McCain led in four and was tied in two others. Obama led in eighteen and was up by at least six points in five of the last six polls taken before the Start of the RNC. However in eleven polls taken since the end of the RNC Obama has led in just two and was tied in one. McCain now holds a 2.1% lead in the Real Clear Politics average.

With this shift in the polls has come a shift in the electorial college. The state polls have all shifted in McCain’s favor recently. States like Washington, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania shifting toward McCain could allow the Republicans to pick up some House seats, even if McCain does not carry those states in November.

09/14 Minnesota Leaning Obama »»» Toss Up McCain 227 – Obama 207
09/13 Indiana Toss Up »»» Leaning McCain McCain 227 – Obama 217
09/11 Florida Toss Up »»» Leaning McCain McCain 216 – Obama 217
09/11 North Carolina Leaning McCain »»» Solid McCain 216 – Obama 217
09/11 Georgia Leaning McCain »»» Solid McCain 216 – Obama 217
09/09 North Carolina Toss Up »»» Leaning McCain McCain 189 – Obama 217
09/09 New Jersey Solid Obama »»» Leaning Obama McCain 189 – Obama 217
09/08 Washington Solid Obama »»» Leaning Obama McCain 174 – Obama 217
09/07 Pennsylvania Leaning Obama »»» Toss Up McCain 174 – Obama 217

So with the polls heading in McCain’s favor, the Generic Congressional ballot gap closing, and Congress having a 20% job approval rating can the Republicans regain control of Congress in 2008? Republicans are in great shape to pick up seats in the House and Senate. I wouldn’t bet against the Republicans retaking Congress in November.

For more from this blogger go to: TheNewConservative

I’ve researched alot of candidates for VP and I find that there are two that stand out to me. One is Eric Cantor, he has everything a Conservative could want in a VP candidate he’s a social, fiscal and a forgien policy conservative. He has a tragic story about his cousin being murdered by terrorist. (I hate to make that a positive but we are in a war with these people.) He’s a strong supporter of Israel. He’s an amazing fundraiser and he’s the only Jewish Republican in Congress. However even with all these amazing qualifications he lacks one thing, he’s not a woman. I believe to win this election we will have to steal some of those Hillary Clinton voters away from Barack Obama while at the same time holding true to our conservative principles. I know of only one person that has all those credentials and can attract women to the ticket, Sarah Palin.

John McCain should name Sarah Palin has his VP. Palin is like McCain’s twin when it comes to fighting corruption. She doesn’t care where it is she’s going to find it and make whoever is responsible pay. She also helps in the energy debate, she is for drilling offshore, and for drilling in ANWR. She brings in all three segments of the Republican Party and she’s a Christian so she may very well spark the evangelicals to rally to McCain’s side. (Something McCain has not acheived on his own.) We need all three branches of the Republican Party and a few Democrats to win this election. Palin could bring some Democratic women into the fold. I believe that naming Palin as VP will give us the best chance to win in November. Go to New Conservative for more from this author.

Cantor has been serving has a Congressmen from VA since 2001. He is Currently the Chief Deputy Whip of the U.S. House of Representatives. He is the only Jewish member of the House of Representatives. Before that he had served in the VA state house for almost a decade. The Congressman has received well over 60% of the vote in every election since 2000. Including a victory over Ben Jones, also known as Cooter from the Dukes of Hazard.

“Cantor seems to have a knack for fundraising. He was asked to start a PAC to help Republicans in Close contest.” His office set an initial goal of $300,000 for that first year and eclipsed it, said Cantor’s chief of staff, Rob Collins. Then he set the ambitious goal of $1 million for the second year and was able to eclipse that by $43,000. In 2004, during just his second year in leadership, Cantor raised more than $1 million for his Every Republican Is Crucial PAC (ERICPAC), and he is off to an early start so far this cycle. By the end of May, he had given $279,027 to federal candidates, $127,000 more than any other member of the Republican leadership, according to PoliticalMoneyLine, which tracks campaign contributions,” O’Connor wrote.

Cantor gets high marks from the Club for Growth, a conservative economics group. “McCain’s vice-presidential pick will be crucial for his campaign and for the future of the GOP,” said Club for Growth President Pat Toomey. “Choosing someone like Mike Huckabee would indicate an abandonment of limited-government, free-market principles. (sorry Huckabee supporters that’s the quote.) However, picking someone like Eric Cantor, who has tried to help the Republican Party reclaim the mantel of fiscal conservatism, could make the difference between victory and defeat. For economic conservatives, Eric Cantor would be a good choice.”

Cantor would also be a good pick for social conservatives according to Dr. Richard Land. “Dr. Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and one of the nation’s most influential evangelical leaders, recently praised Cantor as a potential McCain running mate, calling him rock-solid on social issues—a huge concern for Christian conservatives with the maverick McCain at the top of the ticket.”

Just to show that Cantor has something for everyone in the conservative ranks. Rep. Cantor is also a foreign policy hawk. Cantor’s Cousin, Daniel Cantor Wultz, died has a result of a suicide bombing attack in Tel-Aviv The attack was carried out by Islamic Jihad. I’m sure that storyline would help the McCain campaign keep the focus on the War on Terror. On other big foreign policy issues Cantor is strongly conservative. He is a strong supporter of U.S.-Israeli relations. He voted for the FISA bill, Voted for authorizing force in Iraq, voted against a timetable for withdrawal, and voted against the House bill stating disagreement with the implementation of the surge policy in Iraq.

After looking at Cantor’s record it appears he would be a good choice for Vice President. He seems to be in good with all three parts of the Republican Party, foreign policy conservatives, fiscal conservatives and social conservatives. He is also from the State of VA a State that has been reliably Republican in the past, but one that Obama plans to filp in this election. The polls there have been very tight and Cantor may be able to keep the Virginia red in 2008. Another advantage of choosing Cantor is it will add youth to the ticket. Cantor is only 45 years old. However he is not inexperienced. He spent 8 years in the Virginia State house and has been in Congress for 8 years. I believe Cantor as all the attributes necessary to make a great VP.

Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota is a much mentioned VP candidate. He is the past Chairman of the National Governors Association. Pawlenty has been supporting McCain since the start of the primary season and is one of his biggest backers. The major question that swirls around a possible Pawlenty pick is can he deliver Minnesota to McCain?

Pawlenty was first elected governor in 2002 and was reelected in 2006 with 46.7% of the vote. (the independent candidate got 6.4% of the vote) Republicans lost both the State House and Senate in the 2006 election. Pawlenty was the only Republican Constitutional officer in Minnesota to survive that election. Pawlenty took office with a 4.5 billion dollar deficit and started his second term with a surplus. However the bridge collapse in Minnesota could be a factor that keeps Pawlenty from being the VP on McCain’s ticket.

Pawlenty is undoubtly a fiscal conservative, he balanced Minnesota’s budget while cutting taxes, enacted a property tax cap, and elimated the marriage penalty. He also has a great record on education has Minnesota is first in ACT scores, first in percentage of residents with a high school diploma, and first in precentage of residents with a bachelors degree. This leads to a business environment that has the State first in Fortune 500 companies per capita. Minnesota is also first in quality of life and home ownership.

Back to my first question can Pawlenty deliver Minnesota? In his last election he garnered 46.7% of the vote. This was after winning his first election with even a smaller percentage 44.3. As best as I can tell Pawlenty tends to hold an approval rating between 50-55%. That would probably get him reelected, but I don’t think it’s high enough for McCain to steal that state from the Blue Column. Also the fact he never really came close to 50% in either election doesn’t bode well for McCain either. I don’t think Pawlenty can deliver Minnesota and outside of that he doesn’t have a great story line and wouldn’t generate any buzz for the campaign. On the other hand no one would be upset with this pick either. If McCain wants to play it safe this would be his best choice. If he’s going for a homerun he’s going to need to look to someone else.

As we go into the second of four possible VP choices I have chosen to highlight Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Elected in 2006 Sarah Palin is the first woman, and the youngest person at 44 years of age, to hold the office of governor in Alaska. Nicknamed “Sarah Barracuda” while she was leading her High School basketball team to the State title. She has gone after corrupt politicans on both sides, supports drilling in ANWR and drilling off-shore, is a strong fiscal conservative, and a devout Christian. She currently has around a 90% approval rating. Let’s start with looking at how she has attacked corrpution in her state.

Governor Palin has passed ethics reforms in her state and is ethical to the point where it almost cost her a political career. She is refered to as, “A crusading corruption buster”. She has gone after corrupt Republicans as well as Democrats in Alaska. “The landscape is littered with the bodies of those who crossed Sarah,” says pollster Dave Dittman, who worked for her gubernatorial campaign. It includes Ruedrich, Renkes, Murkowski, gubernatorial contenders John Binkley and Andrew Halcro, the three big oil companies in Alaska, and a section of the Daily News called “Voice of the Times,” which was highly critical of Palin and is now defunct.” (Hard to sell papers critizing someone with a 90% approval rating.) It is now a crime in Alaska for public servants not to report bribery that they know about.

Another issue where she would be a plus is on Coastal drilling as well as drilling in ANWR. With high energy prices and American’s screaming for congress to act Palin will help highlight one of Obama’s biggest weaknesses. Also being from Alaska Americans may be more interested in her opinion about drilling there than they would a politican who may have visited once or twice in their lifetime.

Governor Palin also has a record has a strong fiscal conservative. She believes that people can handle their money better than government, an overriding conservative principle. Palin cut property taxes while at the same time increasing services as a Council Member/Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska. As Governer She has vetoed 1/3 of earmarks put into legislation, including several put in by Republicans.

Governor Palin is a devout Christian. This can only help McCain with the social conservative base of the party. Who, for whatever reasons, do not believe he shares their values. Palin is pro-life and believes that marriage should be between a man and a woman. However she failed to sign a bill outlawing Gay Marriage due to the fact the Alaskan Supreme Court had said the law would be unconstitutional. She refers to her State Constitution as “my bible in governing.”

Let’s see did I forget anything why else would this young woman be a good pick for VP. That’s right, because she’s a young woman. Having a energetic young woman on the ticket would help McCain with the women’s vote and Palin could also do a great job on energizing the base. Also with a nickname like “Sarah Barracuda” you have to believe she could fill out the traditional role of the VP has an attack dog very well. I would not want to be on the other side of a debate with her.

Go to NewConservative for more from me.

This is just my opinion and it goes directly against an article I wrote on my blog June 7th entitled Why McCain Needs Huckabee. Where I made an empassioned plea for McCain to take Huckabee as his VP. However during a conversation with some Romney supporters yesterday I came to the conclusion that McCain would be better off not picking either one as VP. The reason for this is simple If he Picks Huckabee, Romney supporters will be furious and vice versa.

I think were down to Three choices Jindal, Palin and Pawlenty. Let’s go over the Pros and Cons of each starting with Jindal. However a friend of mine has suggested Rob Portman so I will included him here as well. This will be a series starting today with Bobby Jindal

Bobby Jindal the young charismatic governor of Louisana is a Rhodes Scholar. At 37 years of age he is the youngest governor in the U.S. Jindal barely meets the age requirement for executive office. However he is the first non-white governor to serve in Louisana since reconstruction. He is also the first Indian-American, and the second Asian-American governor in U.S. History. As Secretary of Louisana’s Department of Health he is credited with turning a four-hundred million dollar deficit into a two-hundred-twenty million dollar surplus.

Bobby Jindal also served as a congressman from 2004-2007. During his time as a Congressman he was given a 100% pro-life rating by the National Right to Life Commitee. He also voted to make the Patriot Act permanent and in favor of the Millitary Commissions Act. Jindal supports a constitutional admendment to outlaw flag burning, and has a A rating from the Gun owners of America. In 2006 Jindal sponsored a bill to lift the moratorium on off shore drilling. However he also led the Louisana delegation in earmarks and was 14th out of 435 overall.

Since taking office as Governor Bobby Jindal has passed sweeping ethics reform laws in Louisana. This legislation puts his State in the top five in legislative disclosure and first in executive disclosure, according to the governor.

Jindal does however have what could be a deal breaker. According to Mr. Jindal he and several other students preformed an emergency exorcism. While I’m not saying I don’t believe his story about the exorcism, I think there are many who wouldn’t and may even be scared off by the story. In 1994 Jindal wrote a story for the New Oxford Review, a Catholic Journal, where he told of coming face to face with Demonic possesion. Go here for the story.

Jindal has many pros, but I believe his cons will outweigh them. Jindal’s youth makes it very hard to choose him for VP while McCain is running against a man he is looking to portary as an inexperienced kid. Also Jindal’s fondest of earmarks he displayed in Congress won’t sit well with a man who as never requested one. That along with the exorcism story makes it unlikely he will be McCain’s choice.