Norm Leahy is asking a lot of “ifs” of Bob McDonnell lately. First, when it comes to SOL reform…

“If, truly, Bob McDonnell wants to make education reform a signature issue of this campaign, he could do far worse than exposing the SOLs for what they really are: expensive charades that tell us only how well a child can successfully complete a bubble test within the allotted time.”

He then reprises this paragraph when discussing what NJ GOP gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie is proposing:

“If McDonnell truly wants to make education reform a signature issue, I’m all for that. But he would be well advised to see what Christie is proposing in New Jeresy. That’s what reform looks like.”

Norm is pushing for a “Big Idea” to rally around for McDonnell. Could education be it?

Unrelated, Josh at Virginia Conservative has an interesting post up on the difference between primaries and conventions…in terms of cost.

I believe that the high cost to turnout ratio, coupled with the relatively low voter interest (4.2% turnout in the city and 3% in the county) and potential crossover voting, make a strong argument in favor of nominating conventions (like the Republicans did) as opposed to primaries (like the Democrats did). After all, who should foot the bill for party nominations? Should it be the party faithful who willing give up both their time and money to participate in these functions? Or should it be the average Virginia taxpayer, most of who don’t give 2¢ about whom the parties nominate?

Of course, Josh, Democrats are all too happy for Republicans to bear some of the cost for their future voter ID lists.

Many were shocked when Colin Powell coddled with Obambi last year and gleefully got an hour on Meet the Press to talk about mean Republicans.

I wasn’t.

Today, the anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s epochal speech at the Berlin Wall, where the Gipper proclaimed “Mr. Gorbechev, tear down this wall.”

But the State Department had cut the now-famous line from Reagan’s speech. And there was Colin Powell, arguing with Reagan’s speechwriter Peter Robinson about why that line couldn’t stay in the speech.

“I found Colin Powell, then deputy national security adviser, waiting for me. I was a 30-year-old who had never held a full-time job outside speechwriting. Powell was a decorated general. After listening to Powell recite all the arguments against the speech in his accustomed forceful manner, however, I heard myself reciting all the arguments in favor of the speech in an equally forceful manner. I could scarcely believe my own tone of voice.”

Colin Powell? Mr. Republican who claims “his party left him?” Colin Powell didn’t want to make any Communists mad and hoped Reagan would kiss their Ruskie behinds.

Guess who Reagan didn’t listen to.

Even the morning of the speech, Reagan was being pushed into deleting the line. “Too provocative” they said, and this was a funny one - “It would raise false hopes.”

Yes, Colin. Your way and the Berlin Wall would still be standing, and where would the world be.

Reagan told his team “Let’s keep it in…it’s the right thing to do.” And the walls came tumbling down.

Thank God for Ronald Reagan.

Senate Democrats have attached a $108 Billion bailout for the International Monetary Fund to the War Supplemental.

The Supplemental (HR 2346) passed the House 368-60. It gained wide Republican support because the monies were going to the troops though it did have some opposition from the anti-war left.

But now, everything has changed. Senate Democrats have junked up a perfectly reasonable bill with goodies for the IMF - which could benefit state sponsors of terrorism, like Iran.

On Thursday, Virginia’s own Eric Cantor had a few words with Majority Whip, Steny Hoyer about this prospect:

Open thread. John Brownlee, Ken Cuccinelli, or David Foster? Have fun. Be nice.

Also…predict the ballot and the percentage (i.e. Brownlee wins on the 3rd ballot, 51-49). Closest person wins “their pick” from the Bearing Drift store. If a tie, the winner will be selected by a drawing. Be sure to leave your email address in the comment form (it will not be displayed, but will be used to contact you if you win.)

Open-thread. Pat Mullins or Bill Stanley? Have fun. Be nice.

Alaskan Democratic Senator Mark Begich has broken through the political smokescreen of his party. Sen. Begich has petitioned the Obama Administration to refrain from cutting missle defence spending at this critical juncture in foreign policy. He has rightly pointed to the fact that Alaska is a critical “front line of defence.”

This Democratic Senator has just made a point that Governor Palin and others have been making all along; we must not cut our missle defence efforts. In response to the North Korean nuclear and missle tests yesterday, Governor Palin stated that we must not cut our missle defence capabilities.

Senator Begich and Governor Palin speak to this issue with a great deal of credibility. Alaska hosts Fort Greely, which is one of our nations critical missle defence posts, and would likely intercept any incoming missle that could come from North Korea or China. It was often overlooked during the campaign of last year, just how much credibility Governor Palin had on military issues, such as her receiving briefings on priviledged information.

The bottom line here is that a Democratic Senator and a Republican Governor are working together to put our nation’s security first. That is something that our nation desperately needs at this moment in history.

Both Israel and the United States have inagurated new leaders over the past few months. Both of these leaders face monumental challenges, much like two figures from the past.

Benjamin Netanyahu is much like Winston Churchhill. He is the Prime Minister of a small but powerful country. He is a conservative presiding over a coalition government, and he is facing a ruthless dictator who believes that he can control large sections of the world.

So with the similarities between Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Winston Churchill, the obvious question is how President Obama compares to Franklin Rooselvelt. President Roosevelt never asked Churchill to make concessions to the Nazis. He increased the size and capability of the United States military. Before officially entering the war, he made the United States an “Arsenal of Democracy.” So far, the Obama Administration has tried to leverage the Palestinian statehood issue into the Iranian nuclear situation and has treated Israel as if the mullahs that run Iran are their moral equivalent. Roosevelt would never have even thought of insulting Churchill in such a way. He showed respect to Churchill when it came to dealing with the Nazis.

The leadership in Iran have not only stated that they want to wipe Israel off the map, but they have also stated that America should be eliminated. President Obama should follow Roosevelt’s foreign policy as much as he follows his economic one.

I got a chuckle yesterday reading Lowell Feld’s post on Blue VA about McDonnell citing the independent Thomas Jefferson Institute’s report on off-shore energy sources. Lowell practically seethed condescension as he attempted to broad-brush TJI as a partisan organization and that the study, which referenced science from Australia, was somehow flawed.

What’s interesting about TJI, is that at least three of its board members are pretty connected to the Democratic Party. Not the least being Eva Hardy who gave $5000 to Lowell’s guy, Chairman Terry McAuliffe and is considered part of the McAuliffe “kitchen cabinet”.

Additionally, since when is citing a study conducted from a G-20 country somehow not valid? Australia is and economic power and one of the world’s largest producers/exporters of agriculture and natural resources, so they probably know a thing or two about off-shore drilling.

But I digress…instead of poking holes in scientific facts, Feld should be applauding the one candidate in this race who actually promised to do something substantive, without fleecing the taxpayer, for the environment yesterday.

During the Kaine administration, 400,000 acres of land in Virginia were conserved in a bi-partisan effort between the governor and Speaker Howell. Yesterday, McDonnell said:

“As our population increases, and land is developed in Virginia at a rate of roughly 60,000 acres a year, it is important we continue this bipartisan conservation effort. As Governor I will do so by ensuring that we conserve another 400,000 acres by the conclusion of my term in January 2014.”

McDonnell continued by proposing to increase the land conservation tax credit from 40% to 50% of the qualified appraised value of the land to “further incentivize citizens to participate in our successful land conservation efforts.”

“We will use free market policies to pass on Virginia’s natural wonders to our children, grandchildren and all who follow,” said McDonnell.

Imagine that…the free market and the environment working together. One might call it a symbiotic ecosystem.

I doubt our friends on the left will see it that way though. They’d rather chase rainbows than do something real.

About a year ago, Bill Clinton campaigned in Virginia for his wife, Hillary and helped her garner a huge loss in the Virginia primary for President as Obama shellacked her 64% to 35%.

Terry McAuliffe thinks that, coupled with two consecutive losses of Virginia of Bill himself for President, makes for a great campaign team.

“Clinton will stump Monday for McAuliffe in Richmond and Roanoke,” reports the Richmond-Times Dispatch.

Now, the only question is will Hillary stump for Patrick Muldoon?

Why seek ye the living among the dead?

I know that my Redeemer lives;
O the sweet joy this sentence gives!
He lives, He lives, who once was dead;
He lives, my ever living Head.

He lives, all glory to His name!
He lives, my Jesus, still the same;
Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives:
I know that my Redeemer lives!

Text: Samuel Medley, 1738-99, abr.
Job 19:25-27; Col. 1:18; Heb. 7:25; John 14:2-3

“Stations of the Cross” from The Write Side:

Stations of the Cross: Jesus Prays Alone
Stations of the Cross: Jesus is Arrested
Stations of the Cross: Pilate Tries Jesus
Stations of the Cross: The Sanhedrin Tries Jesus
Stations of the Cross: Pilate condemns Jesus to Die
Stations of the Cross: Jesus Carries His Cross
Stations of the Cross: Jesus Wears the Crown of Thorns
Stations of the Cross: Simon Helps Carry the Cross
Stations of the Cross: Jesus Speaks to the Women
Stations of the Cross: Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross
Stations of the Cross: Criminals Speak to Jesus
Stations of the Cross: Jesus Cares for His Mother
Stations of the Cross: Jesus Dies on the Cross
Stations of the Cross: Jesus is Laid in the Tomb

* The artwork on TWS is original.

What’s in a name? I mean, President Obama seemed to have no trouble changing the “War on Terror” to an “Overseas Contingency Operation.”

So what does this mean? Are we no longer in a war? Here’s the problem. The Islamic fascists are still at war with us, however, we have basically downgraded our efforts to a global law enforcement operation. We are making the same mistake that Israeli Leader Ehud Olmert made in Lebanon back in 2006, he pulled back too soon. Today Hezbollah has regrouped and now presents argueably a greater threat than before.

President Obama’s state department also allowed the SWAT area of Pakistan to be handed back over to the Taliban. Sharia law is now the norm there. The Obama Administration’s “smart power” has proven to be a dud.

The attention is focused on the economy right now, and Obama’s numbers are dropping because he is not being seen as competant. Even if the economy were booming though, I think that he would be in trouble politically because of his laxed approach toward an ideology that attacked us almost eight years ago.

And that is my Daily Rant.

Alas, SB 1504, an effort to make the Eastern Box Turtle our state reptile, has been squished 28-69, with 2 abstentions.

[Photo Credit: Bumblebee Blog]

(h/t: Sen. Mark Obenshain)

I know that the focus should be on 2009. However, since it’s early in the year, I thought that I would throw this out there.

Who should run against Tom Periello in 2010? Should Virgil Goode run again? Somebody else? Should Tom Periello be reelected?

What about Shaun Kenney? Is his latest debate with Loudon Insider just practice for Perriello? Food for thought.

Well the time has finally arrived. President Obama is expected to put his signature on what is possibly the sloppiest bill in American history.

This is more than just a sloppy bill, it is a slap in the face to Americans families who have been tightening the belt and working hard to stay off of welfare. This is a slap in the face to middle class families who have been responsible and paid their mortages on time. This bill will have serious implications for the students in America today who now find themselves staring down a multi-trillion dollar deficit, or inflation, or both. These are the very students that Barack Obama rode to victory on last year. Now that he is done with them he is perfectly content to straddle them with a debt that they may not be able to repay. Also, we see that this bill was written in a fashion as to restrict religious liberty on college campuses, totally ignoring the American people’s First Amendment rights.

I have said all of that to say this. This is not the peoples bill. Pelosi and Reid shoved this down our throats with the approval of President Obama.

Today as President Obama has his grand signing, his message to the American people is clear.

Take this stimulus and shove it!