Last week the Republicans held two debates. To say it was like watching aliens would be an understatement. This could be the most idiotic group of men ever to run for the White House. Their understanding of the world is childlike and their solutions even more so. When one of these men is elected (steals) to the presidency, we are completely fucked as a nation. I do not see how we could possibly survive another four years of this ignorant bullshit.

They have no intention of moving away from the great policies of George Bush, because obviously he has done such an awesome job. It is completely baffling that five adults can sit on stage during a debate, in the year 2008, and argue over who backs the president more. Now, I expect stupidity from these fucking morons and I am rarely disturbed by their caveman grunts and screams, but when the topic turned to terrorism and they ganged up on poor Ron Paul, I kind of lost it.

Don’t get me wrong; I think Ron Paul is an idiot. Besides his views of foreign policy, he may be the most moronic of them all. Yet, he is very intelligent and thoughtful when it comes to foreign policy.

Ron Paul made the mistake of pointing out that we should take responsibility for our policies that led to 9/11. Seems like a position that any mature, reasoned man would take. If someone attacks me, there is usually a reason. Strange people just don’t walk up to me on the street and punch me in the face. That is just not how life works.

Here is Paul’s statement that set off the idiots:

Oh, how dare you speak the obvious! This is a Republican debate, thinker! A good-looking retard named Mitt was the first to respond.

All? I have missed the attacks on Iceland? Also, Switzerland, Finland, blah, blah, you get the point. It’s a hollow and bullshit argument. The countries that have been attacked have mostly been those whom helped us with Iraq and Afghanistan. What the terrorists are trying to do is bring down governments that are not moderate, like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt. You know, the dictatorships that the US props up. Anyone who is using just 1% of his or her brain should know this.

Mitt then goes into a rant in which he says we should thank George Bush for keeping us safe. Just ignore the horrible attacks on our allies, Spain and England, as well as the many Australians targeted and killed in Bali.

That’s when old, lazy Fred Thompson jumps in and brags about his experience and nearly fingers himself because of it. All his experience has apparently taught him that crazy Muslims are bad. Whodda thunk?

Thank God Rudy was there to set everyone straight.

Wow, you gave back $10 million dollars because somebody said we should change our foreign policy, and actually have the nerve to brag about your moronic, heinous decision? For those of you who don’t know what the Twin Towers Fund is:

Only a great, educated, selfless man would turn down $10 million dollars for families of dead rescue workers because the donator said the US should take a look at its foreign policy. He rejected money for grieving families because of a TRUTHFUL comment. Rudy Giuliani is a viper. Thank God he wasn't done.

That is pretty much the psychotic view of things, yes. He a stain on face of the Earth and someone needs to get a sponge.

It is over? No fucking way. Ron Paul then attempts to explain to the idiots why foreigners, who suffer at the hands of our foreign policy, are upset because we attempt to force our beliefs on them. Romney calmly lets us know why he is retarded again.

Rudy cackles! Because it’s fun! It is fun how crazy Ron Paul is being with his well thought out criticisms of our foreign policy and his belief that there is usually a cause for violent attacks. Calling the truth propaganda is pretty much all we can expect from “Republicans” these days. Romney then makes a statement that causes me to shit on myself.

Are you fucking kidding me? You want to be our president, you hideous, retarded fuck? You have just made a statement about an assassination, as if it was fact, for which there is no proof. No evidence exists to back up this claim. None. You are a liar and a deviant and very, very dangerous. Also, you are retarded.

Then Fred Thompson jumps back in with some really important questions:

Jesus. Fucking. Christ. WE DO HAVE AIR BASES. Here is a grown man, running for president of the United States, mocking the truth. MOCKING. The US bases in Saudi Arabia have been the number one recruiting tool for al Qaeda, or at least they were until the war in Iraq. Maybe dipshit should have learned that when he was getting all that “experience” as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. It’s okay to read, even if you are an actor.

Are we done yet? Sadly, no. Huckabee then breaks down the problem in a way his Christian minions will understand: Islamofascism. Which, is, uh, something that does not exist. It is not real. There are no Islamofascists. There are radical Muslims and there are fascists, but there is no such thing as an Islamofascist. Huckabee is a retarded moron.

Well, thanks for that, Innocent the Third. You don’t mind if I call you a fucking tool, right? This is an embarrassing position for any man running for president of the United States to take. It is so completely void of thought and reason that it is shocking.

Last week’s debate was disturbing to watch. It is amazing to witness five men speaking to one man like he is a fool, when he is actually correct. And I don’t for a minute believe that any of these clowns actually believe they are speaking the truth. They cannot. Because any man who has achieved the amount of power they have is not a moron. They are only taking this position because they have polled the base and they are catering to their ignorant beliefs, instead of explaining the truth. That is the opposite of a leader. These men are cowards.

Enjoy their brains.



We should greatly fear the day one of these assholes takes over the White House.

The race for the Republican nomination is a complete disaster. Each candidate is coming apart at the seams in spectacular fashion and it is truly delightful to witness. As of right now, Republicans do not have a candidate for president who is not badly damaged.

Let us start with Rudy Giuliani. Rudy is extremely thankful today for the Bush administrations shocking lies about Iran’s nuclear capabilities because his Shag Fund Scandal is off the front page – for now. But it is a long campaign and the allegations will dog Rudy the entire race. Let me recap Rudy’s shit storm.

Rudy used funds from little known city agencies to cover the cost of security when he took trips to the Hamptons to bang his mistress. Then it was revealed that Rudy used the NYPD as a taxi service to drive his mistress to Pennsylvania to see her parents, as well as around the city whenever she wanted. And best of all, he made the cops walk her dog. There is nothing a big city cop loves more than to walk and pick up the shit of the mayor's mistress' dog.

Also last week, it was revealed that Rudy went to a fundraiser
hosted by a convicted criminal, was lobbying for earmarks for 14 companies while campaigning against earmarks, does business with a Sheik who has close ties to Osama bin Laden and had his stump speech ripped apart by the New York Times for making claims that are "are incomplete, exaggerated or just plain wrong." Rudy is a walking disaster.

Next up was Mitt Romney and his illegal immigrant employee nightmare. For a Democratic candidate any sort of black mark in regards to immigration would not be that big of a deal, but the Republicans expect to run on the issue this year. It is the new gay marriage, which means any candidate who is not squeaky clean is in trouble with the base. And Mitt stepped into a big pile of Mitt this week.

During last week’s retarded YouTube debate, Mitt kept accusing Rudy of helping out immigrants by turning New York into a “sanctuary city.” Rudy fired back that Mitt had employed illegal aliens at his home in the past. Rudy was referring to a Boston Globe story from December 2006, which accused Mitt of hiring a landscaping company that employed illegal aliens. Mitt said he took care of the situation and made it clear to the landscaping company that no illegal aliens were to work on his property.

So, the day after the debate, the Boston Globe went back to Mitt's house and guess what they found? Illegal aliens working on the shrubbery. I am shocked and heart broken.

Now the Republican horde is losing their minds. Right wing message boards are working overtime attacking Mitt and his villainous behavior. He basically shit on America and everyone knows it. Good luck, Mitt! Just be thankful that you didn’t get a rapist out of prison so he could rape and kill people. That honor goes to Mike Huckabee and this week it came to the attention of the nation.

Now, that could certainly happen to any governor. Of course, the fact that Huckabee showed Dumond so much respect and kindness was very odd.

“Dear Wayne.” Are you kidding? You just opened a letter to a rapist with “Dear?” What an asshole. If I ever write a letter to a rapist, it will start with, "Hey Fuckface."

Dumond’s previous victims begged Huckabee not to release the rapist because they were certain he would rape again, but his time they were afraid he would kill his victim to make sure she could not finger him for the crime. Huckabee went ahead with the parole anyway. Why he did so is even creepier than the parole itself: Bill Clinton.

Turns out Dumond was convicted and sentenced for raping a distant cousin of Bill Clinton, so the right wing became convinced that Dumond was innocent. They had no evidence other than the fact that the rape victim was related to Clinton. The right wing put massive pressure on Huckabee to release Dumond. New York Post columnist Steve Dunleavy was on a mission, writing such beautiful prose as, the “So-called victim” and "That rape never happened." Eventually, Huckabee was either convinced Dumond was framed (probably not) or thought he could score points with the right wing (yes) by setting a rapist free.

Now Huckabee is running for president and he has a rapist albatross hanging around his neck. Good luck with that.

That is not such a good week for the three Republican front runners, is it? But we can also take a moment to look at the pure insanity coming from the bottom of the pack.



Wow, just throw "Jew" in there and you've got a piece of propaganda straight out of Nazi Germany.

A train wreck falling on a car crash.

Thirty-one days until the corn engorged people of Iowa shuffle into voting booths and pick from the saddest field of GOP candidates in a long, long time. Then the insane mountain lunatics from New Hampshire will follow five days later. At that point I expect a name to emerge that will scare the shit out of every sane person in the country: Huckabee.

Huckabee pretty much annihilated the competition in Wednesday’s Republican debate, which has led to another bounce. It’s not his first bounce, either. He got one from the Ames Straw poll in August and has been rising ever since.

A December 1st poll of Republican voters shows Huckabee pulling ahead in Iowa for the first time. In early October, the same poll had Mitt Romney ahead by 17 percentage points. Shit, Huckabee used to be behind the walking corpse called Fred Thompson. But now the Christian psycho is on a roll.

It doesn't look as good for Huckabee in New Hampshire, where he is sitting in the middle of the pack, but also rising. With 15%, he has his highest support yet in New Hampshire and is way up from the 4% he had in September. Romney is kicking ass in the militia state, while Giuliani and McCain are slipping down. Huckabee should get a big bounce if he wins Iowa and could easily close on Romney.

Giuliani is collapsing into a giant shit heap. He has slipped into third in Iowa with 13% and is tied for second place in New Hampshire with Huckabee and McCain. But in New Hampshire he is trending down. Also, he has some major electability problems in Iowa.

Those are not good numbers, considering they are coming from his party. Giuliani's new Shag Fund scandal should completely doom him, unless of course, conservatives are okay with a guy having the NYPD pay for his fuck trips, act like a cab for his mistress and her friends around town, drive her to her parents house in Pennsylvania and walk her dog. Yes, he had cops walk his mistress’ dog. He’s done.

Fred Thompson is fourth in Iowa, but there is no reason to even discuss him.

McCain is pretty screwed as well. He’s sitting in fifth in Iowa with 7% and second in New Hampshire with 15%. With his kind of name recognition he should be doing much better. And contrary to what Ron Paul’s insane followers want you to think, he is just a zit on the ass of the Republican field. Paul is tied with McCain for fifth in Iowa and in New Hampshire has a whopping 8%. But that is not the worst news for Paul.

Iowa:

New Hampshire:

Paul is plowing forward with a lot of cash but Republicans just don’t like him. All he has been able to do is catch the already dead McCain in Iowa. Congrats, loser.

Shut the fuck up. Ron Paul already lost.

This race is looking like Huckabee and Mitt Romney. Mitt has decent numbers in Iowa and fantastic numbers in New Hampshire. Much of that is due to the fact that Romney has completely out spent his fellow candidates in the two states.

Unfortunately, he is now slipping in Iowa and has dropped five points since October to 24% as of last week. But in New Hampshire, Romney is a Mormon freight train.

You go, girl.

The key fact in this mess is that Huckabee hasn’t been spending money. He’s been doing it all with a grass roots following, public appearances and through debates. Now that Huckabee is ahead in Iowa, expect him to get a massive infusion of cash and become a serious contender for president. Right now he has the best chance. Scary.

It’s official; the Republican presidential candidates are a disaster. A new AP poll found that Republicans chose “Other/None/Don’t Know” over the leading candidates. Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and new savior Fred Thompson all came in behind nothing.

The Republicans have created their own problems. Apparently, any candidate has to meet religious, economic and security standards that are nearly impossible. Oh, and he’s got to have the correct ideas for stopping those horrible immigrants. All of the candidates are greatly lacking on one area or the other. None have secured the support of the religious lunatic fringe. As the campaign drags on, Republicans are actually losing support.

Maybe they should keep their mouths shut and hide in a shack in the mountains. Seems like they would have a better chance because whatever they are doing is not working.

Giuliani has dropped from 35% in March to 21%. McCain’s campaign is in freefall, having lost many of his top campaign staffers and used up all of his money. Mitt Romney is plagued by past support for abortion rights and gay rights. Fred Thompson, also once supported abortion rights and was recently caught lying about his stance. Every candidate but Romney has been divorced, but Rudy leads the pack with three. However, Romney has the terrible problem of being from a crazy religion that Christians are not down with - which cancels out the perfect family life.

Meanwhile, Democrats are happy with their candidates.

The enthusiasm for Democrats and lack of love for Republicans is leading to a large cash advantage. From April to June, Democrats raised 30 million dollars more than Republicans. Candidates who raise the most money win the election. That’s how America works.

At this point, the only thing that would energize Republicans would be Hillary winning the Democratic nomination. If that occurred, Republican funding would surge. Barring that scenario, the Republicans are going to need a new candidate. Here’s what they are looking for:

A candidate who hates gays, loves fetuses, will stop immigrants at all cost, will bomb Iran, Syria, and North Korea, keep troops in Iraq forever, will lower taxes more, pardon George Bush, is a good Christian, hates universal health care, carries an AK47, hates Muslims, loves the CIA and people who out their agents, wants to invade Cuba, will torture their mother if necessary, will commit voter fraud, will privatize Social Security, will privatize roads, will privatize air, will privatize cats, not allow stem cell research, lower the minimum wage and have the courage to murder our forests.

Shouldn’t be hard to find that guy.

Remember back in April when the first quarter fundraising reports showed how badly Democrats were trouncing their Republican rivals? Well the second quarter ’07 presidential numbers are in, and shit is looking even worse for the GOP.

$17 million isn’t exactly chump change and is actually quite an improvement for Giuliani, so one could argue that things are going just fine for Republican presidential hopefuls. You could say that, until you look at how Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton did the last three months.

Yikes. Thirty-two million dollars. That’s roughly double what Captain 9/11 brought in last quarter. Hillary’s numbers also doubled-up Moneybags Romney’s haul. All in all, that’s a butt-whippin’.

It gets even worse for those candidates who aren’t in the top tier, like our old buddy John McCain.

So with Republican leaders lagging woefully behind their Democratic counterparts, Fred Thompson’s impact on the race completely unknown and John McCain having trouble raising money with the gigantic fork sticking out of his back, it’s no surprise that the folks at the RNC are a little jumpy. That’s even before we mention that all three major Democratic presidential candidates are currently dominating head-to-head presidential polls up and down the board. In short, it’s not a good month for them.

All of that said, the real story is Obama’s record fundraising quarter. After besting Clinton in Q1, Obama repeated the feat in Q2 and did it while by recruiting an unprecedented number of donors to his cause.

Yeah, I’d say amassing a quarter of a million donors when most candidates are struggling to hit the 6 digit mark qualifies as “not falling behind”. While it is worth noting that Obama seems to be focusing on raising money for the primary and Clinton seems to be concerned with the general, it’s also astounding that someone who wasn’t even a candidate 6 months ago could have come this far this fast to establish himself as the dominant fundraiser in the race. We’ll see what happens once Hillary brings in the big guy, but as of now she’s got a hell of a fight on her hands and a bit of egg on her face, courtesy of the Distinguished Junior Senator from Illinois.

Subrosa was one of the 258,000.

Huh. And I thought that Rudy wouldn’t want to mess up his mojo. After all, he was doing pretty well in the early stages of the Republican primary elections. He’s polling well, and he’s doing a decent job of raising money. In addition, you may not have been aware of this, but he was also the mayor of New York City on 9/11. It’s true, you can look it up. Anyway, you wouldn’t think he would want to go out of his way to alienate his base on an emotional social issue.

Yet, that’s just what Giuliani’s decided to do.

Well, that’s a principled stand, Rudy. Not necessarily principled enough to get me to forgive you for saying that a vote for a Democrat is a vote for terrorism, but it’s principled nonetheless. Especially after he fumbled the abortion question so badly in the recent candidate debate. Bottom line is that you have to give the guy credit for bucking the party line on something that he cares deeply about.

Or do you? After all, couldn’t there be a broader political reason for this disclosure at this time?

This is presidential politics, baby. Of course there could.

Ah ha! So it's not that he's trying to tank the primary, it's that he's trying to win it in a different way. Interesting.

See, normally, primaries are won by "centrist" candidates moving to position themselves as a solid partisan for the primary voters of more traditionally rural states where they are less likely inclined to support social liberalism. Here, Giuliani is trying to make himself out as a candidate with nuanced enough positions to appeal broadly to party moderates and swing voters in the larger more urbanite states. This shift is a result of the move by states like California and New York to bump up their primary date in an effort to gain a greater voice in the process. And while I could give two shits about Giuliani and think he’ll likely get pounded by any of the three major current Democratic candidates, I’m really quite excited that the Big State strategy seems to be working.

Gone are the days when a candidate looks to sew up his or her party’s nomination by trumpeting solutions to issues that Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina are concerned with to the exclusion of anyone else. In the past, if a candidate didn’t do well in those states, their nomination was doomed. That system also meant we were often left with two candidates who had moved so far away from the center (usually to the right) to capture the nomination that when it came time to appeal to swing voters on the general there was no way to get back to them.

Now that the huge number of votes cast in California, New York and Florida will have a more direct impact on the nomination, candidates are now forced to appeal to those coastal voters. As a result, we may be entering an era where the race to the center is the only race throughout the campaign. Maybe it's because I'm a member of the snobbishly coastal intellectual elite, but I see an emphasis on more "big state values" as a good thing. It means issues like environmental protection and reproductive rights will not continuously get the short shrift.

This still leaves the question of whether this particular strategy will work for this particular candidate. Giuliani does still have to convince Republicans that he’s not just a New York RINO in chicken-hawk’s clothing. In addition to disapproval from his GOP rivals, Republican strategists are highly skeptical that this will work out for him.

I doubt I’ve ever agreed with Phyllis Schlafly, and I certainly am not going to start now. I think Giuliani’s move here is a rather shrewd one and could pay dividends once the big state “mega primary” takes place. And while I don’t believe the difference between Iowa Republicans and California Republicans is really that great, if there’s one issue that may separate them from each other, it could be this one. Especially once the public begins to understand the broad social ramifications of the Gonzales v. Carhart decision a few weeks ago. Hopefully then they'll see the dire need for a pro-choice president this next time around.

Subrosa thinks Giuliani is a twat and would never consider voting for him under any circumstances, but the political science geek in him is really quite charged up about all of this.

Or so say the first quarter fundraising reports, at least. Not only did he report over 66% more individual donors than Senator Hillary Clinton, he actually managed to convince a fair number of ex-Clinton loyalists to drop some coin in his bucket instead of hers.

Oh snap! Those two-timing S.O.B’s!

The numbers detailing Obama’s surprising showing don’t end there.

So, to sum up: Senator Obama had 40,000 more donors donating almost $6 million more than Senator Clinton for the first quarter of 2007 in fundraising for next year’s presidential Primary. He also out-earned her $6.9 million to $4.2 million in internet donations. That’s a pretty thorough butt-kicking… sort of.

The caveat to all of those numbers is that Clinton still has by far the biggest war chest with over $30 million in available funds. Obama is second with $19 million (Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani are distant runners-up with around $11 million each. Actually outside of Romney’s impressive $20 million haul, the Republicans got their asses handed to them, but that’s another story.) It is conceivable that some of Clinton’s former donors decided to give to Obama because they felt she didn’t need the money and Obama did. I suppose some might have considered it a way to even the playing field.

As a Democratic voter myself, I am both surprised at the fundraising strength of Senator Obama and a bit wary of the bitter political battle that could erupt between he and Senator Clinton. If the Republicans get their shit together and stand united behind a candidate, the big money GOP donors will follow. Especially if a tussle at the Democratic top leaves blood in the water for the sharks to smell.

The question then, is whether this dual-barreled Democratic fundraising monster is actually good for the Democratic party. If you’re just looking at pure numbers, Clinton and Obama seem like the strongest candidates (yes, I’m aware that McCain and Giuliani tend to beat Clinton and Obama in head-to-head polls, but such polls this far out are notoriously unreliable not to mention that the gap between them is shrinking rapidly,) but if the Big Blue Two are forced to unleash their arsenal on each other, will the damage be too much to overcome in the general election for whoever is left standing? Moreover, for all their differences a McCain-Giuliani superticket is not entirely out of the question. Can we say the same for a Clinton-Obama slate? I don’t know, but for some reason it feels less likely.

Of course, we’re a long way off. But if fundraising numbers are any indication (and they usually are), Barack Obama is going to be in the thick of this thing for quite a while. Full records of all the candidates’ financial statements can be found here.

On January 24th, 2007, John Lavelle, a state assemblyman from Richmond County (a.k.a. Staten Island), New York passed from this mortal coil.

Mr. Lavelle was a dedicated public servant for over 25 years who most recently fought for the rights of 9/11 victims and their families. He will be sorely missed.

Mr. Lavelle’s untimely death has initiated a special election to fill his seat on the New York State Assembly.

Today, the two candidates in the special election, liberal Matt Titone and conservative Rose Margarella were forced to address swirling rumors in the local press that they are, in fact, cousins.

Mr. Titone and Ms. Margella both denied that they are blood relatives. As a result, a burgeoning political brouhaha on Staten Island looks to be null and void.

Yet, the idea of a candidate having to battle his/her own cousin in order to secure political office creates some intriguing paradigms and possibilities for the 2008 Election for President of the United States…

-- George W. Bush versus John Kerry --

This scenario is predicated on the fact that Dick Cheney, sooner rather than later, will orchestrate – either legally or via the use of the 101st Airborne Division – a change in the Constitution’s 22nd Amendment allowing Dubya to run again for President.

Dubya and Kerry are 9th cousins, twice removed. In the 2008 rematch, I give the edge to Kerry. He would, yet again, run as a mealy-mouthed, flip-flopping, spineless numb-nut but this country is so high-wide-and-handsome fucked-up, the Dems could probably run Janis Joplin’s ossified corpse against Dubya and carry Ohio in the ‘08.

I mean, Dems vs. Dubya round three is a lock for the Donkey...Right? Well, as long as the Dems candidate isn't a known pornographer...

-- George W. Bush versus Hugh Hefner --

Mr. Hefner is Mr. Bush’s 9th cousin as well. In this scenario, Cheney does his thing with the Constitution, setting up what, I think, would be a tight race. Every Christian-right nitwit who thinks the Bible is real would come out of the woodwork for this one. Bush could run his fake-ass “I’m a real Christian” game plan to the hilt and slam Mr. Hefner for running a girly magazine.

Then again, Hefner could rock the Generation Y vote by offering every American citizen under the age of 30 a ticket to his legendary Lingerie Soiree at the Mansion.

I see Mr. Hefner winning in a squeaker. Hail to the chief, baby. Three different first ladies?!?! That sounds just like my Grandmama’s kool aid to me – pretty fucking sweet.

-- Rudy Giuliani versus Regina Peruggi --

Ms. Peruggi was Rudy’s first wife. They were married for 14 years before Rudy paid the Catholic Church beaucoup dollars to have the union annulled.

Ms. Peruggi is also Rudy’s second cousin.

Ms. Peruggi has no political experience to speak of and Rudy has that bullshit reputation of being America’s Mayor. Then again, Rudy allegedly has more skeletons in his closet than seats in Yankee Stadium. Viagara addiction, Abner Louima, Amadou Diallo, two divorces, several affairs, as well as a documented record of slashing firefighter and police department budgets. Not to mention the fact that the Yanks haven't won a title since he suddenly became such a big fan.

I say Ms. Peruggi shocks the world to become the 44th President of the United States by running on a simple platform – “Rudy was shtupping his second cousin…and then he dumped her. What has happened to family values in this Nation?”

Remember the 2004 Republican National Convention? It included an endless parade of increasingly conservative and virulent speakers (culminating in Zell Miller's outrageous address, followed by his challenge to duel Chris Matthews) quizzically set in the Democratic stronghold of New York city. At least superficially. The real motivation for housing the convention in NYC was to provide a backdrop of the former World Trade Center to remind Americans (for those who had forgotten) that George W. Bush was president on 9/11, so we should all vote for him again.

Sadly enough, the ploy worked, and Bush won. Now, with his eye on the 2008 Republican nomination for president, "America's mayor" Rudy Giuliani is taking a similar approach by contacting family members of individuals who died in the WTC to ask for their support.

Lest anyone forget, before 9//11 Giuiliani was set to finish his second and final term as mayor, his approval ratings were far from stellar, having come out poorly following the controversial Abner Louima police brutality case and his attempts to censor the Brooklyn museum from showing art he found to be offensive. And when 9/11 caused a resurgence in his popularity, he didn't gracefully pass the reins to Mike Bloomberg, his successor, but tried to amend the state constitution to eliminate the term limitation preventing him from serving a third term.

When push comes to shove, Giuliani seems most willing to do what's best for Giuiliani and not just do his job as best as possible. Searching out the families of 9/11 victims in the hopes of rekindling the same devotion that America felt for him following the terrorist attacks is not a poltical platform, it's a cheap way for him to try and get back into office and into the spotlight, which seems like his biggest desire. The GOP should look for a candidate with a political vision that extends beyond himself for a change.

Presidential election cycles are apparently getting longer and longer. It seems like Bush had just been inaugurated into his second term when people were already throwing around their lists of potential 2008 contenders, and fundraising for those candidates is certainly well underway. Maybe it's just wishful thinking that if everyone focuses on the next president we can safely ignore the dangerous, bumbling idiot who we're stuck with for another year and a half. Whatever the reason, candidacy for the 2008 election has generated more interest, earlier than in previous presidential elections. And according to a recent CNN poll, the leading Republican and Democratic candidates are both from New York.

Interesting choices. I wouldn't bet on either one to successfully snag the presidency though.

People seem to forget that before 9/11, Rudy Giuliani was a controversial figure even in New York city, where his lax attitude on police brutality and penchant for artistic censorship earned him a less than stellar reputation amongst those interested in civil and political liberties. Coupled with his Catholic, Italian heritage (which is still an issue for many, particularly in the Republican party,) the fact that he's a divorcee, making a "family values" style campaign unlikely, and his New York city origins (which don't exactly play in Peoria) and his mild, broad appeal seems better suited for a general election than the intensely partisan Republican primary we're bound to see this year.

And then of course, there's HIllary Clinton. It's unclear whether her polling numbers are a result of her actual popularity or the dearth of appealing Democratic candidates at this point in time. Al Gore has made more of a name for himself since his failed attempt in 2000 than he had before, but he already has so much baggage, he's likely to still be getting (erroneously) accused of "inventing the internet" if he chooses to run. But if Hillary is the front-runner then the Democrats are in serious trouble. While many Democrats (myself included) think the US is long overdue for a female commander-in-chief, Hillary remains one of the most divisive figures in American politics. Her Democratic credentials seem impeccable given her marriage to party darling Bill, but her voting record is much closer to the center than the left, and her criticism of the Iraq war has been a case of too litte, too late. All of which tempers enthusiasm for her amongst more liberal Democratic voters, particularly given the enthusiasm with which they tossed Joe Lieberman, another famous "moderate" to the curb in Connecticut. On the right side of the aisle her name alone is sufficient to turn Republicans into red-faced ranters calling her "Hitlery" amongst other unsavory titles and fantastizing about rooting out her "lesbian conspiracy." And Clinton is also the junior senator from New York, which is bound to bring the standard "northeastern liberal" accusation from pundits that still seems to work.

While Hillary might survive the Democratic primaries due mostly to the sheer, brute force of her campaign (she's raised an enormous amount of money already) it seems like a stretch to believe that even given the current derision for all things Bush, that she could win a national election. Particularly if paired off against candidates like John McCain or Rudy Giuliani.