It was the folksy Mike Huckabee calm demeanor that pointed out that the Reverend Jeremiah Wright represented radical extremist views last night on MSNBC’s  The Verdict. When Jeremiah Wright implied that this issue was against the black churches, I knew then Jeremiah Wright did not represent the 65,000 black churches.  The Washington press club Q&A revealed a lot about Jeremiah Wright. This man has a large ego and his recent appearances, are a form of payback, because Barack Obama denounced his rhetoric in public. The Rev.Wright builds that church from a small group of 87 to more than 8000 members, and now a member of that flock did not heed his message and said so publicly. The Reverend Jeremiah Wright built the church, but Barack Obama put it on the map.

Jeremiah Wright said, Louis Farrakhan was a great man. This is a man that said, Hitler was a great man, and together with the Reverend Wright met with the renowned terrorist Omar Qaddafi of Libya. I  do not like it when civilians meet with our enemies, without the current administrations approval. The Reverend could have given Louis Farrakhan credit for the Million Man March and left it at that.

This puts a new light on the subject about Barack Obama relationship with his pastor, but it keeps it out in the limelight without an easy solution.  Sure pundits will tell you that he needs to just completely disassociate with the Reverend Wright and his church, but they do not have to suffer the repercussions that this action might cause.I can see where some might say why didn't Barack Obama see through this,because observation and good judgement are qualities we want in a president.

I still think  Reverend Jeremiah Wright, has the right to the limelight to sell himself and his books, but I now see him; in the same light as I do right wing extremist like Ann Coulter and others I denounce. It took me longer than most to get to this point.  

This morning, I tuned in to MSNBC’s "Morning Joe" for a recap of the week-end news.

The network was all over the Jeremiah Wright appearance at the NAACP convention in Detroit last night ,and his upcoming appearance in Washington. It was all about, “Why now?”

I say, why not? Jeremiah Wright has just as much right to gain fame ,fortune and redemption using politics as Reverend Billy Graham, Falwell and Pat Robertson did.  Jeremiah Wright has a book coming out in about a month, so he will make many appearances, as did the above-mentioned clergyman.Barack Obama has already denounced the controversial statements of his former pastor, so there is no more he can do.Barack Obama told Chris Wallace that the issue of his pastors words are fair game.This only goes to prove that Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright are not joined at the hip. For Jeremiah Wright to go in isolation, until after the election would be dishonest and deceiving.  If voters think that Barrack Obama will instill an agenda of racial division, then they should not vote for him. I have yet to see any evidence of that.

To borrow a line from Jeremiah Wright "...I served six years in the military, does that make me patriotic? How many years did (Vice President Dick) Cheney serve?"  I would've taken it a step or two more by saying "I do not condone torture, nor did I bypass the Constitution by monitoring American citizens without a warrant, or FISA court approval.” When did we stop taking the totality of the person into consideration?

I am sure the George W. Bush and Cheney supporters, have taken their redeeming factors into consideration.

So can we let Hillary Clinton stay in the race until she runs out of money, stop worrying about the flag pins, Jeremiah Wright, or if John McCain benefited by using his wife corporate jet for campaign trips?

I know you not were terrified of the Obama clock. It was rather pathetic watching Chris Wallace beg for your appearance every Sunday,It was like watching the high school nerd ,asking out the most popular girl, out for a date every week. What can you possibly gain by  going on the Jeremiah Wright, travel Channel?  Since it’s beginning, Fox’s viewers have voted, 88% for Republicans.  This 24/ 7 happy channel does want to hear your message of hope, because they are ecstatic with status quo. 81% of Americans think this country is going in the wrong direction, so it is easy to see where the other 19% get their news.  These viewers ,are the  28% that think George W. Bush is doing a good job.

Obama’s camp is well aware Fox’s all-out effort to discredit his candidacy.  Come on  Barack Obama , by appearing on Fox News Sunday, it will be a form of legitimacy, and it definitely will help their ratings. Perhaps Obama can do a Bill Clinton on Chris Wallace, that will be something to see.  I know there are some say that "If you can’t take the tough questions from Fox, how do you expect to defeat the terriost.”  That's the mentality of the people that ask that question, because Fox will not ask tough questions about the issues, they are more interested in the soundbites, they think they will get from a questions like, George Stephanopoulos asked  "Does Jeremiah Wright love his country?"  Will Chris Wallace ask  legitimate questions about the issues, or will he try to get material for “Fox and Friends”.  I think he will be the latter. Watch and see Sunday 8:00AM on Fox.

You live and you learn but I never thought I would be the subject of a blog and according to a couple e-mails I received, some people are responding to a known troll, that was kicked off the Victoria Advocate Forum for using the very same tactics he is employing now.

Apparently, he has picked up a couple of admirers…LOL  Ever notice it's only the right-wingers that want to trespass into someone's space to dump what they perceived to be a legitimate open-minded opinion. Am I really that important because no one else, has been the subject of a blog?I consider the source.

I guess it goes along with mainstream media thinking; Karl Rove is a political guru, although he got slam dunked in the 2006 election and in the year 2000, Al Gore actually received 600,000 more popular votes. Fox news, has yet to tell their viewers,that their political analyst(Karl Rowe) is maxed out in contributions to John McCain. I never really expected it from Fox , because it was recently revealed that most of their military experts, were taking their talking points from Don Rumsfeld and the Pentagon.

It's supposed to mean "ready to entertain new ideas." but I suppose it refers to a topic that one is not familiar with ,because I geniunely think people are entrenched in their beliefs when it comes to religion and politics.

I'm a fan of New York Times columnist Tom Friedman and his latest book "The World is Flat.” The book is about being opened-minded and realizing that the internet has made this world smaller and more competitive. If the United States continues to rest on its laurels, we will find ourselves behind China and India in the world economy because cheap labor, and unfair trade policies are in their favor. We must find that next innovation to make other countries come to us for our expertise.  We must be open-minded to new ideas to achieve this. Our education and healthcare system are failing us, so status quo should not be acceptable. A favorite line of those opposing national health insurance is "look at Canada's plan."  Does that mean that it is impossible to improve on what may be the negatives of the Canadian Health Care Plan? Are private insurers doing everything they can to get everyone insured under their private policies?

I made the mistake yesterday of telling a poster (Sandwichh) that I was not open-minded.

Ron correctly said that I do not question sources coming from mainstream media to which he thinks is biased. I realize now, that some might take that literally, to mean I  am close minded on all issues.  I am open to new ideas and information on global warming, health care, Iraq war, income taxs, education, illegal immigration and now have a personal reason to make social security solvent in the years to come.  I had heard tirades and one-sided views of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and the likes  for years, so yes, my mind is made up, when it comes to them. On the left I am tired of Chris Matthew's generalities. For example in the year 2004, he went on and on about George W. Bush being a guy to stop on the side of the road to help you with a flat, as a reason the people voted for him. This year, he continues to say Barack Obama cannot do a pickup conversation at a breakfast diner, so he is not able to resonate with the voters. Why was Kansas made the model of what a normal voter should be? All the pundit used this model, leaving us to believe that pizza worker in New Jersey is not a normal voter.  I recommend MSNBC's  "Race for White House with David Gregory” for a fair in-depth analysis of politics. Yesterday's panel consisted of David Gregory,Rachel Maddow(Air America), John Harwood(WSJ), Joe Scarborough and Pat Buchanan.

Global Warming:

This past Earth Day, I was about to contribute an article I found about pumping CO2 underground and reusing it for commercial purposes ,but the second post, went to politics, and it ended with George Bush and Dan Rather.

Pumping CO2 underground brought to mind what Tom Friedman said about going green  "We must find a way to introduce father greed to mother nature."  Cap and Trade , Al Gore, and my scientist against your scientists are all political stalemates.  Oil companies and Al Gore arguments.

Health Care

Want government out of  our health care, then offer a solution to make Aetna  And Blue Cross less expensive

All the issues that divide us are just sitting there ,because no one is willing to compromise. I am not asking any one to give up their principals ,but to drop the “my way or the highway” method of doing business.

This past Saturday, my wife and I had the pleasure of revisiting San Antonio after a long absence, because for me this lovely city was difficult to get around, even with a map.  My navigator of 40 years would mumble endlessly as she fidgeted with the map.  Combine my lack of a sense of direction and her not able to read a map, and you have the makings of a very unpleasant trip. This is why we avoided San Antonio, when we needed a big city,instead we opted for Austin or Houston.

Two years ago I bought "Microsoft Streets and Trips" packaged with a GPS system for my laptop. I used the system sparingly on our Chicago vacation, because of my laptop's battery constraint.  The GPS got us to the doorstep of our Hotel, but then we put it away, as we relied on city transportation and the L-Train to get us to our destination.

On October 2007, we decided that our final vehicle,would have GPS installed.

Since then, we have found our grandsons, remote apartment in Austin and to this day I can’t tell how we got to Hobby Airport ,and back to Victoria ,because we relied solely on the GPS. Saturday's San Antonio trip was a pleasure.  We got to see everything we wanted ,without the stress of being lost.

John McCain was the guest of George Stephanopoulos yesterday and it was comical and revealing to say the least. McCain promised he was going to stay above the fray, but he just could not help himself by slamming Barack Obama for his ties, with William Ayers of the Weather Underground. He used political spin to say that Obama, compared conservative Republican Tom Coburn of Oklahoma ,who once said he would consider the death penalty to anyone that performed an abortion to William Ayers. Obama emphasized that  Tom Coburn's views were outside the mainstream, but he still continued a working relationship with him. Where does the line of "Guilt by association" end?Of course, talk radio, has picked up John McCain's talking points and are running on it. Now, when George Stephanopoulos asked McCain if he thought it was wrong for him to seek the support of John Hagee ;McCain said he repudiated his statements about the Catholic church and gays, and it might have been a mistake to seek his endorsement. In the very next sentence, McCain said he was glad to have the support of John Hagee. "I was for him, before I was against it."

This should have been any Republican's strong suit(tax cuts for the wealthy) but it  was badly mangled by Mr. McCain. John McCain pretty much said tax cuts were a priority over a balanced budget. He said Obama would triple the capital gains rate, which would hurt the poor fireman, policeman and the working-class. The capital gains rate only comes into play ,when you actually sell that stock. McCain emphasized the trickle down supply-side economics's playbook of "cutting taxes increases revenues." Sure at first, investors will cash in at the lower rate,but over the long haul studies show that the increased revenues do not continue.

McCain's health care plan ;calls for a couple that is on Medicare making more than $160,000 to pay for some of their premiums. Rightly so, George Stephanopoulos asked John McCain if that was a rate increase similar to a tax increase. McCain said it wasn't because it's coming from entitlements. Didn't he criticize Barack Obama for wanting to raise the cap on Social Security(entitlement) as a way to make that program solvent?

All in all, a good interview with George Stephanopoulos,  but he did not ask John McCain the hard questions like.

1)How will you pay for an extended stay in Iraq?

2)How does Iraq play into our economic woes?

3) When will you release your medical records?

4) Why won't you release your wife's tax returns since you filed, married filing separately?

Rest assure, Tim Russert will, if McCain makes it back on "Meet the Press."

John McCain has a lot of time on his hands, while Obama and Clinton continued to do battle. He should make good use of this time, to study economics or else Obama will bury him in the debates. John McCain already has two strikes on him going into the debate, because of the eight years of George W. Bushes failed policies.

The swing states won't be voting on flag pins or a $200 donation in 1994 by Wiiliam Ayers.

I was anxiously awaiting the commercial break because; I thought ABC and Fox network had merged. I later learned Sean Hannity asked George Stephanopoulos to grill Obama about his William Ayers/Weatherman connection. Why did Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos, go after Barack Obama for the first 50 minutes on issues like Reverend Jeremiah Wright, wearing a flag pin, William Ayers, and the condescending remarks to the blue-collar workers?

The debate seemed like it was five to one against Barack Obama, the two moderators, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and the GOP. This debate would have been better served on issues like health care, mortgage prices, Iraq war, and income taxes, instead of the gotcha politics, that was played last night by ABC.

Some might say that Barack Obama has been protected by the media and last night debate was a way for ABC to make amends. Others might say that this is just a sampling of what the GOP would throw at him. This was a Democratic primary debate, to help distinguish the candidates in the upcoming primary election. Plenty of time for a general election strategy. What did the potential voters of Pennsylvania get from this debate? Nothing, it was fodder for the GOP and John McCain.

After the debates, nearly all the pundits said Barack Obama looked frustrated and angry.

The man is only human, and he probably prepped all day on what he wanted to say about the economy, the Iraq war, health care and Social Security, only to be ambushed with the irreverent social questions, he has already answered.

The debate had its highlights. When Hillary added that Mr. Obama sat on the board with William Ayers, He reminded her that Bill Clinton pardoned two of the Weatherman.

I hope in the general election debate, Obama gives ABC, the same consideration he gives to Fox. Give CBS a shot ,Katie could use a ratings bump.

The best argument for staying in Iraq can came from generals who opposed the war from the very start.  Retired generals, William Odom and Brent Scowcroft both start off  their argument,by saying.  "We are where we are" but to leave anytime soon without fixing what we broke will have a lasting feeling of betrayal in that region.  This would greatly damage our reputation, and we would be seen as a country that does not finish what it starts.  The other reason for staying is to preserve our own economic interest.  Imagine what would happen if oil was very risky and expensive for China to import. That country could call in our $500 billion (and growing) note, causing devastation and economic chaos at levels we have not seen before.

The dog and pony show (Foreign Relations and Senate Armed Service Committee hearings) were disappointing. General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker gave the same administration canned answers and the senators asked the same unanswerable questions.  Senator Hillary Clinton asked one of the most important questions of the hearings. She asked Ambassador Crocker, if it was proper for the Iraqi government and the president to sign a long-term occupation treaty in Iraq without the approval of the U.S. Congress.  Ambassador Crocker said the present plan did not need the advise and consent of Congress.  Sounds like a constitutional matter to me. Senator Joe Biden asked another great question, when he asked Ambassador, which Al Qaeda posed the greatest danger  Qaeda in Iraq or Al Qaeda around the Pakistan/ Afghanistan border area.  The ambassador reluctantly said "Al Qaeda around the Pakistan Afghanistan border; post the greatest danger. I would have followed up with "Then, why are most of our forces in Iraq?"

General Petraeus said the troop withdrawal of 30,000 scheduled in July, would remain, but then he would take a 45 day pause to evaluate the situation.  Another committee hearing another delay. Senator Hillary Clinton asked General Petraeus to outline the conditions in which he would tell the president that the current strategy is not working.  On cue, the general brought up the "When they stand up, We stand down" slogan by indicating that if Iraq was not able to provide their own security.  He quickly said" is not a mathematical science.  Does that mean, we are to discount the 1000 security troops that quit, while their comrades were in battle?

I didn’t hear a word about passing the new G.I. bill, nor the need to address the fact ,27% of noncommissioned officers are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder caused by the three or four rotations to Iraq.

We did learn that Iraq has the budget surplus, but we still have to continue to pay to repair their infrastructure. Ambassador Crocker said if we loaned the new government money to repair the infrastructures, instead of just giving them the money would hurt their economy. Oh yeah.