Will the Bloc Quebecois help to keep Stephen Harper’s Tory government in power?  They could if Gilles Duceppe resigns as the Bloc’s leader.

Why should we care?  It is in our best interest for Canada to maintain a center-right government.  Particularly in the “Age of Obama”, we don’t need our largest trading partner to become more free spending and certainly not more protectionist.

Lorne Gunter of Canada’s National Post observes that many of the policies scoffed and ridiculed by the left when George W. Bush was in office are now part of the Obama party line.  Does this truly mean that partisanship stops at the water’s edge?

I wouldn’t go that far.  However, even if the Obama administration is taking a tough stance on terror because of the political repercussions of an attack, at least they are doing the right thing.

Maryland Del. Mike Smigiel (R-36) has a great post on the impact Twitter is having is having with the freedom loving protesters in Iran.  While I’ve never had the honor of meeting Del. Smigiel, and didn’t know he had a blog until yesterday, I’m glad I found it.

How did I?  Twitter.  One of the good people I follow on Twitter made mention of the post.  Social media like Twitter can be a great tool for political organizing – both in Iran … and on the Delmarva peninsula.

While his hometown paper attempts to prop up the faltering reputation of Delaware’s favorite son, Joe Biden seems destined for the typical role a Vice President, if that.  Candidate Obama may have felt a need for Biden to help bolster non-existent foreign policy credentials.  President-elect Obama has a team that seems to make Biden redundant at best.

I had to “opportunity” to attend the Frank Kratovil dog and pony show in Salisbury yesterday.  As Yogi Bera said – it was deja vu all over again.  I thought that I was having a flashback from the John Kerry for President campaign.  We were treated to Kratovil’s having opposed the federal bailout before he supported it and Kratovil again stated his support for amnesty for illegal aliens.

For purposes of disclosure, yesterday’s show was a Young Dem event.  This was NOT mentioned in the press release I received regarding the event.  Had Kratovil’s campaign been honest about the event I wouldn’t have raised a stink about it yesterday.  Of course, I doubt any media would have showed up either.  Kratovil’s release made the event appear as if it was an SU event.

But I digress.  Sen. Barbara Mikulski got up and did her duty for party and the liberal cause.  She explained to the group of students that they all needed to get out and work for Barack Obama and Frank Kratovil.  As usual, she was pretty impressive.  I don’t agree with Sen. Mikulski on much, but I have always admired her constituent service and her willingness to take a stand.

We were then treated to the world according to Frank Kratovil.  There was no mention of Barack Obama.  Uncharacteristically, he did own up to being a Democrat.  Kratovil wants a balanced budget; but then told us about all of the new spending he supports.  I guess he’ll be supporting defense cuts and raising taxes.

Kratovil told us that “we have to do something about illegal immigration”.  Of course he didn’t tell us what he wanted to do.

It was when the audience was allowed to ask questions that things started to unravel for “Blue Dog Frank”.  The first question was about the $700 billion (watch it rise to over $1 trillion) federal bailout.  “Did you support the bailout?”

In true Kerry-esque fashion, Kratovil explained that he was against Monday’s bailout bill but, after provisions covering oversight and executive compensation were added in, he supported Friday’s bill.  There’s just one problem Frank – those oversight and executive compensation provisions were in Monday’s bill.

So Frank, what was the difference between Monday’s and Friday’s bill?  $140 billion in PORK! Now we know where Frank Kratovil stands on fiscal policy as well as the federal bailout – I’m against it until you lard it up!

Fortunately for Kratovil, Barbara Mikulski took the microphone away from him and explained why we should all support the bailout.  I believe that she was wrong, but again – she took a stand.  At least she wasn’t wavering back and forth like a drunken sailor.

Two other issues came up in Q&A which I thought were quite revealing.  Again Kratovil expressed his support for the Bush amnesty proposal.  Kratovil has claimed in the past that he’ll be tough on illegal immigration.  However, when pressed he states that we should do two things:

• Open up more slots for legal immigration. (a real tough stance since most Americans support this)

• Make those who came here illegally “get to the back of the line”.

Translation – Frank Kratovil doesn’t want to deport illegal immigrants.  He just wants them to wait a little longer until they can get a green card.  We all saw how well that worked back in 1986.

The other issue that was quite revealing is Kratovil’s changed stance on the war in Iraq.  Now Kratovil supports a timetable for removal of our troops.  As someone who has opposed the war from the start, I also have a long enough memory to realize that once we announce a timetable, our enemies will simply lay back until we leave and enslave the Iraqi people all over again.  Can Kratovil spell VIETNAM?

Once this nation committed troops, we should have been fighting to win.  The surge – something initially opposed by the Bush administration and opposed by Barack Obama on odd numbered days – has proven successful.  While I want our troops home as soon as possible, I can’t understand why someone like Frank Kratovil would support a policy that will not only lead to the defeat of our objectives in Iraq, but would make the sacrifices of our young men and women in vain.

But don’t worry.  There’s still three weeks left until the election.  Kratovil will probably change his mind a couple more times between now and then.

… and Barack Obama’s Total Lack of Character.

Human Events editor Jed Babbin wrote an excellent column this week regarding a key strategy being employed by Barack Obama and his handlers. Basically, the Dems want to paint John McCain with the same brush that LBJ and his lefty acolytes painted Sen. Barry Goldwater back in 1964.

Personally, I say let them try. The conservative movement was in its toddling stage back then; and the world is a far different place. If Obama’s folk want to claim that McCain is some sort of war-monger it’s fine by me; and I’m a pacifist. Our post 9/11 America will be more comforted by a military man who isn’t afraid of being tough on our nation’s enemies than Obama – who aspires to be the modern equivalent of Neville Chamberlin.

One item in Babbin’s column that is too often overlooked by most of us is Obama’s complete disdain for the military. It’s almost Clintonesque.

Remember back to MoveOn.org ad about Gen. David Petraeus – “Gen. Betray Us”? Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced a resolution condemning the ad.

What did the ONE do? He literally hid in the closet like a little kid:

And Barack Obama did what he did so often in the Illinois Senate: he
ducked and ran for cover. Early in the day, Obama was present to vote
for the empty substitute offered by Sen. Barbara Boxer. Later in the
day, he was suddenly missing: he didn’t vote on the Cornyn amendment at
all. (The Cornyn amendment condemning the ad passed by a vote of
72-25-3. Not voting were Barack Obama, Maria Cantwell and — you
guessed it — Joe Biden.)

With true character like this, I’ll be real comforted.  IF the ONE is elected.

This doesn’t need any of my commentary. Just read Jim Hoeft’s piece from Bearing Drift and ask yourself -

Is this who we want as President?

Before anyone falls off their chair, this is not a theological post. I’m just going to point out a few interesting items, courtesy of they folks at Q&O.

The Hypocrisy -

Remember the “speech” in Berlin. His campaign was telling the media the speech “is not for campaign purposes.” Yet, within 24 hours, the Obama campaign was email links to the video with a pitch for money.

Standard fair for your average politician, but I thought that Obama was bringing us a NEW politics.

The Rapture -

Bruce McQuain’s superb analysis of “the speech” provides some interesting side points that we should consider. Bruce quotes Der Spiegel -

… he (Obama) wants to lay claim to become the president of the world.

Given all of the Messiah references, and the absolute cult of personality that Obama has developed I started to think back to my Sunday school day. The last time I checked, the guy who fit that description wasn’t the Messiah, but the Anti-Christ.

Makes you wonder. Perhaps my idea of moving to Australia if Obama wins wouldn’t do much good.

… it should be good enough for us.

How many times have we heard from the Left about the marvels of Cuba’s healthcare system? If only we had something so grand in the United States?

Well, Fidel Castro is ailing. Who’s providing Fidel’s care? It sure isn’t the vaunted Cuban system of socialized medicine.

I’m sure Barack Obama and his cadre of Blame America Firsters will find a way to make this our fault. It must be the trade embargo.

This is the questioned inferred by Christan Hudson’s post on DelawarePolitics.net. The Messiah won’t make any demands of the Palestinians, yet he’s already mapped out concessions for our only true ally in that region of the world.

Wait! Didn’t Obama just tell the world that we would ALWAYS defend Israel?

We ask again? Can America afford Barack Obama?