From Hillary Drive, we almost took a hard left to Alito Way in the present discussion. Oooops, let’s stay on track.

I read your apt comments about the shape of Democratic jockeying for the nomination. I do
not think that the party is going to hand it
to HRC. She will have tons of money but that
will not assure her victory in the face of her negativity rating.

Warner is a one term governor without a standout record. In DC, you can’t turn around without the WashPo proclaiming he is the next Lincoln. But his name recognition can not be very high and the WashPo praise will not resonate out West. Same with Bayh who would put a jitterbug to sleep with his speeches. Gore is formidable enough at least in his own mind to try a run. Edwards is for sure and has run before so he knows the ropes, and of course Kerry is on his way.

Am I to take it that you regard Alito as not qualified to sit on the Supreme Court?

If so can I get you to present any arguments to support your view?

What, in your opinion, qualifies someone to be a Supreme Court Justice?

I’d respectfully urge you to consider whether your viceral emotional distaste for the foreign policy views of Senate Democrats, and for their often hapless and/or phony show-biz personalities, is skewing your judgement on policy matters in which they may be making some reasonable points.

All: Hillary is actually not all that popular among liberals, to say nothing of leftists. Hell, I know a lot of liberal or leftist women with a complicated or underwhelmed view of her.

My current thinking is that Gore could very make a comeback, as a sort of elder statesman, and get a LOT of traction among the Dem financiers and among voters in the Democratic primaries, based on his post-2000 move to the Left.

You would then have him on the Left, Evan Bayh on right, and Hillary and Mark Warner trying to triangulate as the electible sensible moderates. Except that Hillary’s not that damn electable, and Warner’s a one-term governor. \

On the Republican side, I’m afriad that the independent, cosmopolitan, socially liberal,secular zionist wing of the Republican Party is highly unlikely to get McCain, Giuliani or Rice. More likely, they’ll have to learn to like George Allen. The Electoral college and the two-party system can really be a bitch sometimes.

Such talk is, I admit, sometimes an effective rhetorical device. Dismiss all objections by one’s political opponents out-of-hand, and redirect debate toward the motives of those opponents, thereby removing any need to ADDRESS THE SUBSTANCE OF THOSE OBJECTIONS.

Objections raised by NONLEFTISTS with substantive doubts about Judge Alito’s suitability for the bench.
Such as the editors of the New Republic, who endorsed Judge Roberts just a few months ago:

http://www.tnr.com/user/nregi.mhtml?i=20060130&s=editorial013006

Or Saint Joseph Liberman:

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/state/hc-27014434.apds.m0728.bc-ct–alitjan27,0,3579126.story?coll=hc-headlines-local-wire

I’m also 5th generation Kansan (gggrandfather was allowed in early as a grain miller for the Indians before they opened K.T. for general settlement). I’ve voted for Bob Dole many times, I’ve met him and he’s a heck of a nice guy. But he’s always been “let’s compromise (means “100% our way” to a Dem)” and a product of Kansas good ol’ boy favor tradin’ politics. He truly is the consummate politician that the MSM makes Bill out to be. He called in all his chips in ‘96 and the nomination was his. Each time I voted for senator Dole I did so as the only other choices were D, L or G (Go home). He is a patriotic, honest man who truly believes all Americans desire only the best for our country but that some just have different ideas of how to insure long-term freedom and a good life for all of us. No, that is not “Kansas gullible”. He left here for Washington 40 years ago. That’s “too many years in D.C. gullible”. His “pit bull” image was a product of the MSM BTW.

I agree that if we run a moderate like Dole again (McCain?) then enough conservatives will stay home to insure a (D) victory. I thank senator McCain for his service to our country. He endured more than I ever could. I know that and look up to him. But I also don’t support most of his political beliefs and consider them as being more (D) than (R). Will he remain “a man of honor” as others wrote and remain a Republican to his last day in politics? I hope so!

Rudy Giuliani also is a genuinely decent and ethical man. Some qualities in a person you just can’t hide (or is that mostly just to us out here in cow country?). But, quite honestly, we in “fly over country” hear him express his beliefs and consider him as being to the left of where Nelson Rockefeller was. As we all know, the “Nelson Rockefeller wing” still exists in our party even though some, derisively, call them RINO’s – I don’t, we need all the help we can get! The JFK wing of the Democratic party is down to meeting in a phone both with Joe Lieberman as their leader.

Rudy Giuliani would be a non-starter in most Red States in the primaries. With either McCain or Giuiliani as the Republican candidate, I’d vote for either but the sad truth is too many conservatives would stay home on election day. We of the (R) party too often default to the “we’d rather be right than be (particular office)” from local to national elections. I’m not saying we should EVER be like the Dems where they say and do whatever the focus groups say they want to hear so as to get elected. Then forget it all the day after they’re elected. Has a Dem in any truly contested election ever won by not temporarily positioning him or herself as a “main-stream moderate candidate for everyone”?

Out here, where we buy a horse based on the look in person’s eye and what they’ve done (not said), we’ll be watching to see what John McCain and Rudy Giuliani do (not say) during the next few years to insure we retain the White House long past 2008.

Pubbies can beat Hillarycare back.

They have to educate.

From the Grauniad:

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,,1697578,00.html

Women demand tougher laws to curb abortions

∑ Poll reveals growing concern over late terminations
∑ Blair under pressure to agree review as MPs urge change

Denis Campbell and Gaby Hinsliff
Sunday January 29, 2006
The Observer

A majority of women in Britain want the abortion laws to be tightened to make it harder, or impossible, for them to terminate a pregnancy.
Evidence of a widespread public demand for the government to further restrict women’s right to have an abortion is revealed in a remarkable Observer opinion poll. The findings have reignited the highly-charged debate on abortion, and increased the pressure on Tony Blair to review the current time limits….