The Des Moines Register has a detailed listing of the 2008 candidates’ activities in Iowa over the next few days.  Looks like Tommy Thompson is eating five meals today, including two dinners.  He is going to be eating lunch at the Icehouse, a place I used to go after work at Clarinda Academy.

I am not at all interested in going to see Tommy Thompson, but he is working like a rented mule.

Tom Tancredo spoke in Waukee, IA yesterday and “stressed that the United States must overcome converging threats posed by radical Islam, communist China and broken borders.”  He’s right.  He said a lot of things yesterday that were right:

“China is not just an economic threat,” he said. “It is also a military threat.”

“We can no longer afford to fight politically correct wars or in politically correct ways,” the Republican said. “… There’s only one rule of engagement – I believe we should go into war with: ‘We win; they lose,’ ” he said.

Tancredo also said he does not view the United States’ operations at home and abroad as a “war on terror,” but rather, a “war against radical Islam.”

Here’s the problem.  He said these things in front of a crowd of about 40 people.  Tom has a good message.  He just needs to get in front of a larger crowd and speak it.

Overall, I can’t see him coming out of the second tier anytime soon.

Congratulations to Iraq for winning the Asian Cup championship.  I guess that is kind of a big thing in soccer.   Being a Kansas City Chiefs fan, I am not used to getting past the first round of the playoffs, so I can’t imagine what it would be like to win the whole tournament.  Probably pretty exciting.  I don’t know.

But hey, they could use so good news over there.  So get your party on.

The Newsvine user Online Apps has nominated me for president in a thread there asking: “Which Newsviner Would be a Good US President?”

Based solely on what he/she has posted on Newsvine, disregarding qualifications such as age or citizenship. Anyone on Newsvine is eligible to be nominated or to vote.Who would be your choice and why?

I clicked on this article out of curiosity and found that I was nominated. Here are a few of the comments about my candidacy, liberals in blue:

Online Apps – He has the leadership (as shown by the Conservative Coalition Force). IMHO, he has the correct politics (debatable of course). And he’s got the support.

Zolius – Bodhi1 Couldn’t get elected as Dog Catcher if he were a cat.

Brandon Kiser - I second the notion to vote for Bodhi1. For all the reasons OA listed above.

ajs – I’d vote for Bohdi,

.O.K – Bodhi has and presents very good ideas. Some disagree with him but that doesn’t mean he would not be a good choice.

Zolius – I’m Serious, the last thing we need is another Bush far-right ultraconservative as president. Not if we want America to survive as a Democratic Republic and not a Dictatorship…I have nothing personal against Bodhi!, but for president! What qualifies him? Nothing. He’s not even a member of the Skull & Bones! And what’s worse, he’s got an IQ higher then 85!

Kai – My vote would be cast for Bodhi, for sure.

Spooky Boyfriend – Bodhi1 is like Pat Buchanan but without the charm or tact…

I can feel the love.  Can you?  I’ll let you know how this turns out.

I remember a conversation I had with my brother where he said he was against cruel punishment, but the country could stand a little more unusual punishment.

Brother, you got it:

SAGINAW, Mich. — A 73-year-old man has been ordered to clean a veterans memorial with a toothbrush for taking part in a scam to solicit scrap yards for metal, saying it was to be used to build a memorial for soldiers in the Iraq war.

…

“You certainly should be ashamed,” Saginaw County District Court Judge A.T. Frank said as he sentenced Kolinski to clean the veterans memorial in front of Governmental Center on Aug. 7.

“You will have a toothbrush and bucket with a placard saying you stole from veterans,” Frank said.

I wonder how he would punish prostitutes who scam their customers.  Maybe I don’t want to know.

Either way, well done, your honor.

Having been a dog owner almost my entire life (five years I went without a dog was because the Navy frowns on dogs aboard ships), I know that there is more to dog ownership that merely playing with the dog. I can go to a friend’s house and play with his dog, but that dog is not my dog. There is a bond between dog and owner that is created by daily interaction. A dog owner loves his dog, and the dog responds to that love in kind. That is why I don’t get this:

SAN FRANCISCO — From the state that popularized purse puppies, drive-thru dog washes and gourmet dog food delivery comes the latest in canine convenience — a company that contracts out dogs by the day to urbanites without the time or space to care for a pet full-time.

…

For an annual fee of $99.95, a monthly payment of $49.95 and a per-visit charge of $39.95 a day, (discounted to $24.95 Sunday through Thursday), animal lovers who enroll in FlexPetz get to spend time with a four-legged companion from Cervantes’ 10-dog crew of Afghan hounds, Labrador retrievers and Boston terriers.

The membership costs cover the expense of training the dogs, boarding them at a cage-free kennel, home or office delivery, collar-sized global positioning devices, veterinary bills and liability insurance. It also pays for the “care kits” — comprised of leashes, bowls, beds and pre-measured food — that accompany each dog on its visits.

Bizarre.

I love dogs, but I would never consider renting one. I just don’t think it would be the same.

Come on.  Can’t you Californians make a commitment on anything?

Jack Lewis put together a script for bloggers to use to remember the people lost on 9/11. I added it to the sidebar tonight.

Never forget.

One of the other pilots witnessed the crash. He reacts as any of us would.

God be with the families of those who were lost in this accident.

It is rather uncomfortable calling the 67-year-old House Speaker HouseNancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), mother of five and grandmother of six, “hot.”

You think?  Try downright absurd.  Pelosi comes in at #4 on “50 Most Beautiful People on Capitol Hill,” coming in ahead of some good looking folks.  Makes no sense to me. 

Chuck Schumer says the president isn’t going to get any more Alitos on the High Court. 

 “We should reverse the presumption of confirmation,” Schumer told the American Constitution Society convention in Washington. “The Supreme Court is dangerously out of balance. We cannot afford to see Justice Stevens replaced by another Roberts, or Justice Ginsburg by another Alito.”

When Schumer says “The Supreme Court is dangerously out of balance,” what he is saying is the nutroots from MoveOn.org and DailyKos have their shorts in a wad and are screaming the Supreme Court isn’t liberal any more. 

Proof?  Did you hear him calling for no more Ruth Bader Ginsburgs or calling for no more John Paul Stevens?  No, you hear him decrying originalist justices making the Supreme Court unbalanced.  How can a court that routinely has 5-4 decisions be unbalanced anyway?  Seems to me that is as near to balance as you can get with an odd number.

The White House called Schumer a bully and kindly asked him to “shut his cake hole.”  Not really, but it would have been cool if they had:

“This is the kind of blind obstruction that people have come to expect from Sen. Schumer,” [Dana] Perino said. “He has an alarming habit of attacking people whose character and position make them unwilling or unable to respond. That is the sign of a bully. If the past is any indication, I would bet that we would see a Democratic senatorial fundraising appeal in the next few days.”

Nice job.  Not only did she get the “bully” shot in there, but alluded that this was nothing more than posturing to get supporters to open up their wallets.  There are two justices that may retire. 

While no retirements appear imminent, Bush still could have the opportunity to fill another vacancy on the court. Yet the two oldest members – Justice John Paul Stevens, 87, and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 74 – are part of the court’s liberal bloc and could hold off retirement until Bush leaves office in January, 2009.

Let’s hope one or both decide it’s time to take a break from ruining the country and retires.

Planktos wants to increase the population of plankton in the oceans.  Their theory is that the increase in plankton will result in a decrease of CO², and the decrease in carbon dioxide will then save the world from spontaneous combustion.

So, in order to foster the increase in plankton, Planktos plans on dumping tons of iron dust into the ocean:

 In the coming days to weeks, Planktos, a small California-based “ecorestoration” company, will use a 115-foot (35-meter) research ship to dump a hundred tons of iron dust into international waters some 200 miles (322 kilometers) west of the Galápagos Islands.

Iron—a nutrient naturally carried into the ocean by wind—encourages plankton growth, which can absorb atmospheric CO2, a greenhouse gas.

Planktos isn’t doing this just to save the planet from the oppressive heat that is sure to kill all of us.  They plan to measure the level of CO² removed from the atmosphere, and then sell carbon credits to Church members.

There are some questions concerning the plan, from environmental groups and marine scientists.  But as of now, the plan is to drop the iron.  I hope this works out better than the tire reef did.  But I don’t imagine it will.  I wonder what the unintended consequences of this will be. 

Rudy will not be participating in the CNN/YouTube debates.  He sites a scheduling conflict as the reason for his absence.

In an interview with CBS4 commentator Jim DeFede scheduled to be aired on the “Jim Defede Show” on Monday, Guiliani said he was not informed by his campaign staff about CNN about the debate, and that the date chosen by CNN unilaterally conflicted with a number of other campaign appearances.

Mitt has yet to say yes or no.  Tom Tancredo also hasn’t said either way, but I would think he’s in due tot he amount of videos he has on YouTube. 

McCain and Dr. Ron Paul have already committed.

Fred Thompson showed up on “Hannity and Colmes.”  Here’s the interview:

That position worked pretty well for Mondale. I’m sure it will work equally well for Edwards.

Edwards promises to tax the rich. He wants the people not living in 29,000 square foot mansions to know that he is there for them. He’s not going to let people who get $400 haircuts keep getting richer. No sir. He’s going to tax them back down to earth.

“It’s time to stop promoting the wealth of the wealthy and to start making sure that every American who works hard has the chance to move up the economic ladder,” Edwards said in a speech in Des Moines.

Edwards’ proposal may be a crowd-pleaser for Democratic primary voters who object to Bush’s big tax cuts.

But it may be a politically risky position for anyone heading into a general election contest against Republicans, who portray Democrats as incorrigible tax raisers.

Take one look at the current economy and tell me that raising taxes on rich people is going to be an improvement. We don’t need more taxes. We need less government.

I am stunned that Gorbachev would take the position of blaming America for the tension between the Russia and America.  Perhaps it is just force of habit.

“The Americans want so much to be the winners. The fact that they are sick with this illness, this winners’ complex, is the main reason why everything in the world is so confused and so complicated,” he said.

It’s good to know that Russia is not looking to be winners, but want nothing but equality in the world.  I am reassured by the Russian position of holding hands and working together towards a freer tomorrow.

Not so much.