The would-be First Lady of the 2004 election cycle was often the target of criticism for her off-the-cuff remarks on the campaign trail, and for her support of left wing advocacy groups. So much so, in fact, that The H.J. Heinz Co. sent out 50 letters to news organizations to “squash rumors circulating on the Internet and radio talk shows that it is involved with Mr. Kerry’s campaign.” [link]

In 2004, she changed her name from Teresa Heinz to Teresa Heinz Kerry during the campaign. After Kerry’s defeat, she changed her name back to Teresa Heinz, and has quietly faded back into affluent obscurity

The video below is currently being aired overseas. Is this agenda-driven advocacy or is it just clever marketing?

That it is not being run in the U.S. suggests the former. Of course, in this election cycle, I can’t imagine the DNC would knowingly allow the carefully manicured image of their candidate to be pulled into the culture wars with such a provocative commercial sponsored, at least indirectly, by the spouse of their former standard-bearer.

Despite the recent ruling by the California Supreme Court, and the resulting flood of homosexual marriages, the Religious Right has been largely silent in this election cycle. I suspect the Dems would just as soon leave a sleeping giant alone.

VIDEO LINK

I just got this email from Mike Huckabee…

Last night was a reminder of what a tough year this will be for Republicans. The loss of the Congressional seat in Mississippi was tough. We had a great candidate, but the Democrat very effectively ran as a pro life, pro 2nd amendment conservative. I’m convinced that for the GOP to have wins this year we have to focus on specific issues and not party building (for us) or party bashing (against them).

What do you think the GOP needs to do to reverse the slide in support and start winning elections? LINK

You know, Mike. A few months ago, you spent a great deal of time talking about Vertical Politics: policies and issues which were neither right nor left, but were about lifting everyone up. It was an effective message. We conservatives truly believe that conservative principles are the very essence of Vertical Politics. The abandonment of conservative principles by the Republican Party is the main reason for the election losses.

There’s more.

High gas prices, the war, and the overall general funk that I tie up in a neat little ball called “Bush Fatigue.” The general public blames the Republicans for all of the ills in the world, and the President won’t defend himself or the Party. And even when he tries, he is so inarticulate that we cringe every time he steps up to the microphone.

Mike, we’ve been waiting to go on offense since the budget battle of ‘96. But, one by one, we’ve watched our leadership get picked off by a sex or money scandal, and all our time has been spent on defense. And then we get junk coming out of the Congress like Foley, Abramoff, Delay, Ney, and Cunningham… and uncontrolled spending, and bigger and more obtrusive government programs … illegal immigration out the wazoo, and the President, as well as our presumptive nominee, on record as supporting a path to citizenship for those who have entered here illegally (just doing jobs Americans won’t do, my foot), even going so far as to tie the hands of the border enforcement agents charged with a near impossible and thankless task. The fact that Compean and Ramos are still in a jail cell irks us to no end.

The fact is, we’re mad, Mike. But not so much at the Democrats. They aren’t doing anything that we don’t expect out of them. They’ve behaved disgustingly, and continue to do so. No, we’re mad at the Republicans for not carrying the fight to the Democrats. We vote for men and women who promise to fight the good fight when they are back home campaigning, but when they get to DC, they seem to be interested only in being liked by the opposition, lining their pockets, or getting their groove on. Our elected representatives have refused to stand up and fight for our principles, and we don’t see any real advantage to returning them to DC.

I’m going to tell you something else, Mike. If John McCain doesn’t get off this global warming kick, he’s going to need a heck of a lot of crossover voters in order to win — because there are a whole bunch of us who will not vote for him if he stabs us in the back. Again.

I admit to being surprised at the reports of Sam’s Club and other retailers limiting bulk sales of rice. Panic-buyers, breathlessly reported by mass media, generating concern among the public of possible food shortages, and skyrocketing prices of basic food staples. Is this the next crisis we must face in these bizarre times, or is this just another sign of the times?

In fact, WSJ’s Brett Arends opined the other day that “maybe it’s time for Americans to start stockpiling food.”

Maybe it is.

9/11, Katrina, H5N1 preparation, …. If these events didn’t get America’s attention, then maybe a potential problem with food supplies will do the job.

We have been buying a few extra cans all along, trying to get to the point that we can go for ninety days — like FEMA has recommended to our hospitals — but 90 days of self-sufficiency is a tall order. That’s a lot of cans.

Kind of like filling the Strategic Petroleum reserve. If it’s there when you need it, it really doesn’t matter what you paid for it.

Previously: “What’s in your emergency kit?”

Obama’s bitterness gaffe, released by a still unknown attendee at a San Francisco fundraiser, revealed as much in that short, static-filled recording as any expose written by the finest of “outside” writers. It was the candidate’s own words that convicted him. As much as a photo expose’ by ZombieTime News, the Obama recording gave us confirmation that these people think they are somehow better than the rest of the world, snug in their own cocoon of superiority, oblivious to anything that doesn’t fit their preconceived notions of “truth,” and ignoring the true source of bitterness that our country has endured since Florida 2000.

Peter Wehner presents the duality this way:

He presents himself as post-racial — which is harder to accept than it once was, given his intimate, longtime relationship with a pastor and church that harbor deep and obvious racial anger toward whites. Obama presents himself as post-partisan — even though in his time in the Senate he has done nothing to bridge the partisan divide, which explains why he has been endorsed by the rabidly partisan MoveOn.org. Obama presents himself as post-ideological — even though he was named the Senate’s most liberal member in 2007 by the respected National Journal. Obama is a public critic of free trade — yet his chief economic adviser is quoted by a Canadian official as saying that Obama’s position on NAFTA is politically motivated and insincere. Obama speaks about the importance of religious faith in his life and the life of the nation — yet when speaking to a group of rich liberals, he implicitly denigrates people of faith, pairing them with people who have “antipathy to people who aren’t like them” and who harbor “anti-immigrant sentiment[s].” He paints religious believers as folks clinging to crutches to better deal with their desperate lives — only to insist last night that his words were actually a tribute to people of religious faith. NRO

You have to go back to former Atlanta Braves loudmouth John Rocker to offend as many categories of people as Obama smeared in his ugly pronouncement. source

I’m really trying to like John McCain. I really am.

I believe him when he says he has changed his mind on tax cuts. I applaud his position change on amnesty for illegal aliens. I believe him to be a credible candidate on the issue of National Security. I think he will make better judicial appointments than either of the two Democrats.

But, this global warming baloney may yet prove to be the deal-breaker for me.

McCain has gone public with his mandatory cap and trade program for reducing CO₂, and was quoted in Concord, NH making the ridiculously grandiose statement, “I will clean up the planet.” He told a group of Concord voters, “I will make global warming a priority.”

His senior policy adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, says McCain is trying to focus on the issue while still being pragmatic.

“He wants to have something that he will be able to implement (as president),” Holtz-Eakin said. “His view of the lay of the land is that (his) cap-and-trade (proposal) has political viability.”

Myron Ebell, director of energy and global warming policy for the free-market Competitive Enterprise Institute, says that is likely. No other candidate has a better shot of getting his plan enacted.

“The Republicans in Congress will not be able to oppose a President McCain. The leadership in both Houses will follow him,” Ebell said. source

McCain figures that his position will help him attract Democrat and independent voters.

Maybe so.

But, he risks losing a ton of conservatives in the process. Just because we have no other candidate to vote for doesn’t mean that we will automatically vote for McCain.

Especially if the fish are biting.

Here is the contact page from the McCain website. Drop them a line and let them know what you think.

Gordon James Klingenschmitt, writing at WND, cites his 8 reasons for not voting for John McCain. Gordon is a big fan of Alan Keyes, and plans to write-in Keyes’ name on the ballot for President. Frankly, I cannot think of a bigger waste of time than a write-in vote, but it’s Gordon’s vote, and if he wants to waste it, that’s his business. So be it.

I haven’t decided whether or not I’m going to fully support McCain with my time, money, and words. The fact is, McCain hasn’t earned it. I’m concerned about McCain for some of the very same reasons that Gordon cites. He brings some unattractive baggage to the race that should have disqualified him in the primary process. But for several reasons, and a whole lot of dumb luck, McCain survived the Primary, and now stands as the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party.

Even though I may not fully support him, I’m still going to vote for him. I decided a long time ago that I would vote for the Republican nominee. It is a decision that is completely based upon the issue of National Security. McCain will stay on the offensive in the war against the Mufsidun, while his opponents are arguing about the best way to withdraw and go on defense. Theirs is the proverbial prescription for disaster.

Gordon’s logic is puzzling. If the issues that he claims to care most about are left to the care and governance of the organized effort that strives daily to impose nihilism on the nation (euphemistically called the Democrat Party), then who will be to left to fight the good fight? Do those well-intentioned conservatives who plan on writing in a name on the ballot, or just going fishing on election day, really believe that surrendering the franchise is the way to advance their agenda? Having lost the Congress in the last cycle, losing the Executive this time around will mean losing the Judiciary for another generation as well.

I certainly believe that the social issues are worth fighting for, but, without liberty, they are moot. McCain is not my first choice to lead the Party, but I do respect his ability to make a command decision, delegate authority, and hold his subordinates accountable to task. In wartime, the primary role as CIC makes McCain the superior candidate among those still in the race.

Gordon’s criticism of Janet Folger notwithstanding, I wonder if he read her concluding remark.

First, repent on behalf of our nation; then put your faith to action.

It is important, I think, to understand that the Power to truly change this great Republic isn’t going to come from Washington. D.C. That one salient fact should give hope to believers, as well as the courage to fight on in the cultural struggles. Folger’s edification for Christians to stand and be counted is of great significance, and comes as a reminder to us to stay engaged.

Have faith, Gordon. Stand with us.