The fat lady just sang.
Rick Santorum, the only remaining opponent to Mitt Romney, has withdrawn from the Republican presidential campaign, saying, "This presidential campaign is over for me."
He suspended instead of ending his campaign so that his campaign committee can continue to collect contributions to pay off his remaining campaign debt, and perhaps to transfer funds to a new registered committee, because Santorum made it clear that he is not disappearing from the GOP scene, only from the presidential race.
His remarks, made at Gettysburg, a site dear to all Americans, and especially to Republicans, because it was there that the first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, made his immortal Gettysburg Address, quoting the Declaration of Independence and challenging Americans then embroiled in the Civil War to prove that their country would survive.
Santorum made a similar appeal today, asking that America's political leaders take to heart the needs of all Americans, remembering that America is unique only for as long as she remembers how she was founded and who she is. In his speech, Rick Santorum reflected on the values of liberty and freedom that make all Americans special and said he will remain in the fight to keep those values alive so that America can be and remain great.
Importantly, Santorum also committed himself to helping defeat President Obama in November, thus putting aside any thought of his heading a splinter right wing effort to defeat Romney.
He stopped short of endorsing Romney, but that will come in due course, after the two men and their staffs have sorted out Santorum's role in the Romney campaign.
So, Mitt Romney must now turn his effort to the Fall Campaign against President Obama. It signals not only the honing of his message but also the beginning of a serious campaign to raise the money needed to fight Obama's more than $300 Million war chest, money raised and saved because he had no primary opponents and so didn't need to spend money to defeat them.
It is now also important that every Republican get behind Mitt Romney. He needs the GOP rank and file in his corner as he sets out to bring in independent voters and conservative Democrat voters.
The campaign has begun. Bravo Mr. Santorum!
May I add, "Mr. Gingrich, step up to the plate and do likewise."
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
Iran and Syria Updates
The next round of talks about Iran’s nuclear program gets underway soon and to mark the occasion, Iran has offered to discuss reducing the strength of the enhanced uranium it is producing. But, Iran will not turn over to international authorities the enriched uranium it has already made.
The talks will take place in Turkey, and considering the amount of time it took just to agree on the venue for the talks, one might wonder how serious the Iranian proposal is, or whether it is just one more time-buying effort by the Tehran regime. But, the suggestion was made by the chief scientist of Iran’s nuclear program and needs to be followed up.
As part of its proposal, the Iranians said that they could in the future cut back the strength of the enhanced uranium they already have stockpiled.
Iran continues to insist that it does not want to make fissionable bomb material but is only interested in making enhanced uranium for peaceful and scientific purposes. Observers believe that Iran’s determination to keep its program intact is part of its reinforcement of the idea that it is a major power.
Downgrading the confrontation with Iran over its nuclear capability seems to be worth making the effort to try to understand just what they are suggesting and to determine if it can be accommodated and controlled by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Meanwhile, the Syrian situation has again come unglued, to no one’s surprise. Perhaps “escalation” would be the better word since today Syrian troops for the first time fired into Turkey refugee camps to try to stop Syrians who were fleeing from northern Syria. Several were wounded or killed. And, an Arab-language journalist was shot and killed by Syrian troops while he was in Lebanon, along the Syrian border. His cameraman escaped injury but says their car was riddled with bullets.
So, Bashar al-Assad’s response to the April 10 ceasefire is to begin a cross-border campaign to stop insurgents and the journalists who are trying to report on their activities.
Kofi Annan’s peace initiative seems to have been toppled by the cynical lies of the Syrian dictator.
What will be the next step, and who will take it? Arm the rebels? Create the buffer zone called for by Turkey to protect Syrian refugees in camps in Turkey? Hold Russia and China accountable for their protégé’s actions? Blockade Syrian ports? Halt all petroleum shipments to China?
There are a lot of possibilities. What we need now is the collective will to begin to implement some of them.
The talks will take place in Turkey, and considering the amount of time it took just to agree on the venue for the talks, one might wonder how serious the Iranian proposal is, or whether it is just one more time-buying effort by the Tehran regime. But, the suggestion was made by the chief scientist of Iran’s nuclear program and needs to be followed up.
As part of its proposal, the Iranians said that they could in the future cut back the strength of the enhanced uranium they already have stockpiled.
Iran continues to insist that it does not want to make fissionable bomb material but is only interested in making enhanced uranium for peaceful and scientific purposes. Observers believe that Iran’s determination to keep its program intact is part of its reinforcement of the idea that it is a major power.
Downgrading the confrontation with Iran over its nuclear capability seems to be worth making the effort to try to understand just what they are suggesting and to determine if it can be accommodated and controlled by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Meanwhile, the Syrian situation has again come unglued, to no one’s surprise. Perhaps “escalation” would be the better word since today Syrian troops for the first time fired into Turkey refugee camps to try to stop Syrians who were fleeing from northern Syria. Several were wounded or killed. And, an Arab-language journalist was shot and killed by Syrian troops while he was in Lebanon, along the Syrian border. His cameraman escaped injury but says their car was riddled with bullets.
So, Bashar al-Assad’s response to the April 10 ceasefire is to begin a cross-border campaign to stop insurgents and the journalists who are trying to report on their activities.
Kofi Annan’s peace initiative seems to have been toppled by the cynical lies of the Syrian dictator.
What will be the next step, and who will take it? Arm the rebels? Create the buffer zone called for by Turkey to protect Syrian refugees in camps in Turkey? Hold Russia and China accountable for their protégé’s actions? Blockade Syrian ports? Halt all petroleum shipments to China?
There are a lot of possibilities. What we need now is the collective will to begin to implement some of them.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
The Message of Easter
For Christians around the world, it is the sacred feast of Easter, when they commemorate the death and resurrection of Christ.
So, let's put aside the political and social differences that separate us - whether Christian, Jew, Moslim, Hindu, Buddhist or non-believer - and focus for this weekend on the message, if not the feast, of Easter.
It is simple and can be taken to heart and applied by anyone, of any set of beliefs. It is that God loves us and was willing to make a great sacrifice Himself to show us His love.
To live within the love of God, however you see Him or Her, is to live a life that is open to others, that wants good for every person, that finds good in everyone and tries to bring it out, that makes the effort to be open to others by being kind to them.
Love, after all, is what most of us search for all our lives. But, there it is, right in front of us. The love of God for each of us, just waiting for us to accept it and apply it in our daily lives.
So, to my dear readers - Happy Easter and/or happy weekend to each of you. Reach out in the next day or so and love someone, do something nice for someone. Be a child of God's love for you.
I'll be back on Monday with my political commentary.
So, let's put aside the political and social differences that separate us - whether Christian, Jew, Moslim, Hindu, Buddhist or non-believer - and focus for this weekend on the message, if not the feast, of Easter.
It is simple and can be taken to heart and applied by anyone, of any set of beliefs. It is that God loves us and was willing to make a great sacrifice Himself to show us His love.
To live within the love of God, however you see Him or Her, is to live a life that is open to others, that wants good for every person, that finds good in everyone and tries to bring it out, that makes the effort to be open to others by being kind to them.
Love, after all, is what most of us search for all our lives. But, there it is, right in front of us. The love of God for each of us, just waiting for us to accept it and apply it in our daily lives.
So, to my dear readers - Happy Easter and/or happy weekend to each of you. Reach out in the next day or so and love someone, do something nice for someone. Be a child of God's love for you.
I'll be back on Monday with my political commentary.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Sometimes, It's Smart not to Listen to Everybody
Some people are making it seem today like the world got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.
Examples -
1. The Masters has started in Augusta, Georgia. The golf world has been front and center all week, and they have pretty much devoted their comments to whether Tiger Woods will win his 6th green jacket on Sunday. I wouldn’t mind if he did. In fact, at 36, Tiger needs to start winning majors again if he is to have any chance at catching Jack Nicklaus’ record. But, these fellows, all bright and well-informed professional golf journalists, seem to have forgotten about history. The history of Tiger Woods, to be exact. I don’t mean his personal troubles or the fact that he had to restructure his golf swing, or anything like that. I just mean - take a look at the field. There are hot young talents - American, British, Irish, Korean - just itching to get on the first tee at Augusta and prove they’ve got what it takes. There’s also the small matter of Phil Mickelson, who has won three Masters since 2004, and who is playing very good golf this Spring. Mickelson also has another plus going for him. If you think about his play at Augusta, he takes chances. Remember his oh-my-heaven-he’s-crazy-to try-that approaches to Augusta’s incredibly tough greens, or his fearless turns around Amen Corner. Mickelson may be the only golfer with the experience, confidence and savvy - add to that lack of nerves about the mythic course - who should be a real name to reckon with, before, that is, Augusta jumps up and grabs almost all of them by the throat. But, Tiger Woods? Top 3, but no horseshoe, I’d say.
2. The entire world, even President Obama (and we all know how long it takes our Prez to get it sometimes), knows that Mitt Romney will be the Republican nominee for president. Everybody, that is, except Rick Santorum, who keeps insisting that somehow the Pennsylvania primary on April 24 will shoot him right back up to the top. It seems that not only is Santorum slower than the Prez, he’s got a big black hole where his political memory ought to be. Because we all remember that he lost his last race in Pennsylvania by 17%. That’s huge and yet he keeps telling us that this time it’s different. Well, recent polls don’t agree because he and Romney are in a dead heat. So, Rick, why don’t you just pack it in. Get out of the way so Mr. Romney can forge the platform, the voter coalition, the momentum and the media campaign he needs to beat Barak Obama in November. Rick - are you listening? I’m beginning to believe that your refusal to face reality may be the biggest reason why you are not going to be either the candidate or the President. Give it up, Rick, and get some rest. I think you need it.
Examples -
1. The Masters has started in Augusta, Georgia. The golf world has been front and center all week, and they have pretty much devoted their comments to whether Tiger Woods will win his 6th green jacket on Sunday. I wouldn’t mind if he did. In fact, at 36, Tiger needs to start winning majors again if he is to have any chance at catching Jack Nicklaus’ record. But, these fellows, all bright and well-informed professional golf journalists, seem to have forgotten about history. The history of Tiger Woods, to be exact. I don’t mean his personal troubles or the fact that he had to restructure his golf swing, or anything like that. I just mean - take a look at the field. There are hot young talents - American, British, Irish, Korean - just itching to get on the first tee at Augusta and prove they’ve got what it takes. There’s also the small matter of Phil Mickelson, who has won three Masters since 2004, and who is playing very good golf this Spring. Mickelson also has another plus going for him. If you think about his play at Augusta, he takes chances. Remember his oh-my-heaven-he’s-crazy-to try-that approaches to Augusta’s incredibly tough greens, or his fearless turns around Amen Corner. Mickelson may be the only golfer with the experience, confidence and savvy - add to that lack of nerves about the mythic course - who should be a real name to reckon with, before, that is, Augusta jumps up and grabs almost all of them by the throat. But, Tiger Woods? Top 3, but no horseshoe, I’d say.
2. The entire world, even President Obama (and we all know how long it takes our Prez to get it sometimes), knows that Mitt Romney will be the Republican nominee for president. Everybody, that is, except Rick Santorum, who keeps insisting that somehow the Pennsylvania primary on April 24 will shoot him right back up to the top. It seems that not only is Santorum slower than the Prez, he’s got a big black hole where his political memory ought to be. Because we all remember that he lost his last race in Pennsylvania by 17%. That’s huge and yet he keeps telling us that this time it’s different. Well, recent polls don’t agree because he and Romney are in a dead heat. So, Rick, why don’t you just pack it in. Get out of the way so Mr. Romney can forge the platform, the voter coalition, the momentum and the media campaign he needs to beat Barak Obama in November. Rick - are you listening? I’m beginning to believe that your refusal to face reality may be the biggest reason why you are not going to be either the candidate or the President. Give it up, Rick, and get some rest. I think you need it.
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