Will Senator McCain Run in 2012 if he wins in 2008?

Given Senator McCain’s victory in Florida yesterday, the Senator needs to answer a few questions before Super-Tuesday. Unquestionable, someone in their 70s can be President, PresidentReagan was 69 when he took office, Senator McCain will be 72 when he would take office, if he wins. Senator Clinton and Governor Romney would be 61 in January 2009. Senator Obama would be 47.1. How will he counter the age argument when it comes up in the election? How will he counter the different generation argument? Both Senator Clinton or – even more so – Senator Obama will raise it?2. Will Senator McCain run for a second term in 2012? This is an important question because in 2012 Senator McCain will be 76. President Reagan was 77 when he left office and the media played up the age angle. No matter how good his press is now, the media will abandon him once the primaries are complete and even more so in 2012. 3. Given his age, he needs to consider a younger Vice Presidential running mate. As we advocated last week, Mitt Romney or Rudy would make good choices as would J.C. Watts.We advocated that President Bush switch Vice Presidents in 2004 in order to anoint a liberty-oriented successor, and Senator McCain needs to consider this question.Mitt Romney should also consider the running mate questions because Super-Tuesday could be Mitt’s day. However, given the history of age of former Presidents Senator McCain should be considering the questions now.

J.C. Watts as the 2008 Republican Vice Presidential Candidate?

Some advice for Mitt Romney or John McCain: approach J.C. Watts as your Vice Presidential running mate for 2008. J.C. Watts is a well known Republican and well liked in the mid-West. He has relative youth (particularly compared to McCain) and is regarding as being a bright guy.Whomever the nominee is, Rudy Giuliani would also make a good running-mate. Adopt Rudy’s tax simplification plan, get Rudy out there explaining it, and the team will be on its way.Even if you don’t pick Rudy, pick his plan.

A Clinton-McCain Ticket for 2008???

If Senator John McCain loses in Florida or suffers a large defeat on Super-Tuesday, expect that Senator Hillary Clinton will offer Senator McCain the Vice President spot. He might take time to consider it and wait until the convention to announce, but Senator McCain must realize that 2012 will be too late. Will he jump at the chance to be Vice President? Will Hillary actually offer it? The two politicians are friendly and share many similar views, so it is not out of the realm of possibilities.Is the reverse likely (McCain choosing Clinton as running-mate) if by some small chance Hillary Clinton does not win the Democratic nomination? Not at all, McCain would pick Huckabee for a running-mate (or at least some high-level position) if he helps enough. If Obama or someone else wins the Democratic nomination, McCain should have enough political sense to pick a non-white-male. Stupid or not, it is the smart political calculation.

Spying Upon Ourselves

United States Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell, is drafting a plan that is supposed to protect America?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s cyberspace. The plan, according to The New Yorker (January 14, 2008) is that “the government must have the ability to read all the information crossing the Internet in the United States.” Yes, you read it right, in order to protect us, we must give up all our rights to privacy. Prisoners in jail have given up their right to privacy, not voluntarily of course, as we are asked to do. Prisoners can be moved, strip searched, cavity searched, and have their mail search at the whim of their jailers. But they are safe. Oh yes, very, very safe. As will be the people of the United States with the Federal Government as our Jailer, at least that is the plan. The prisoners who are following the rules of the jail have nothing to fear, they are told. And yet they still must submit whenever they are ordered. The United States can be both free and safe. A false choice is being created in order to increase the power of the Federal Government. Do we want to be a nation of prisoners? Do we want to be a nation that must watch every word or spend months explaining what was meant by a particular sentence. When all dissent is monitored, dissent becomes impossible.

People act is if there is a difference between civil liberties and liberty. There isn’t. We will be free in all areas or will be in none. There is no difference between those who wish to limit our economic liberty that those who wish to limit or “civil” liberty. Limiting our liberty in one area necessitates its loss in all other areas. The ramifications of one small loss of liberty multiplies across all others. We will be free or not. Half-free and half-slave is a contradiction in terms and impossible in reality. Continue reading Spying Upon Ourselves

Hillary and the Law

“No woman is illegal,” Clinton said, to cheers. (http://www.lvrj.com/news/13702902.html)

From someone sworn (as a United States Senator) to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the United States, this is disgraceful. Yet again Hillary Clinton shows her disdain for the laws that she expects everyone else to obey.

A pragmatist is someone who would have compromised with King George. Do we really want pragmatists guarding our liberty?