Is Ron Paul's Vision of His Presidency Realistic? Pres. Obama Wants to Shrink The Federal Government; Romney Widens Lead in S.C.; N.C. Inmate Adds New Meaning to Carrying A Concealed Weapon; Fake Penis Gets Her Fired; Act of Valor Opening Soon

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are known to adopt children from other countries. When they both visited the White House this week, Pres. Obama asked them, "Can I interest you in Biden?"--paraphrased from Jimmy Fallon

• As I've written in this blog in the past, Ron Paul has a very dedicated and passionate group of people who support him ( I don't believe I've ever seen a group of supporters so over-protective of a politician in my lifetime). There is no doubt that the vision of his presidency is attractive to many voters, especially young people and those who want a smaller government (this includes Republicans as well as Libertarians). He believes the size of the government needs to be reduced (He's actually recommended eliminating several cabinet departments). He believes in cutting spending. He's certainly no fan of the Federal Reserve because, in his opinion, the Fed is responsible for recurrent recessions. He's said in the past that he would completely eliminate income taxes (he believes that Congress has no right to impose income tax. He's long been an advocate for tax payer's rights).  His foreign policy can be summed up as being non-interventionist. In short, he believes the United States should not be entangled in foreign affairs and should not be involved in any wars unless it's in defense of a direct attack on our soil. He said he would bring our troops home from Europe, South Korea and Japan. He was opposed to our interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan. He would rely instead on open trade, communication and diplomacy (although he did oppose NAFTA). He opposes illegal immigration. When it comes to fighting terrorism, he's very clear. He voted to go after al-Qaeda but voted against the resolution to go into Iraq.  He also believes the CIA should be abolished. He believes Congress should declare war if we get involved in any wars. He believes in the right to keep and bear arms. He is pro-life and is opposed to abortion (He's a physician trained in obstetrics and gynecology. He served as a Flight Surgeon in the United States Air Force).  All in all, much of what he believes in (and he has countless other views on foreign policy, the Fed, immigration, trade, etc.) appears attractive to many Americans. If one can say anything about Ron Paul, one can say he's been one of the few politicians in Washington D.C. who has been consistent in his political views. That's undeniable and it's refreshing. And who can not like an American who sincerely believes in the Constitution?
• But the question remains: Is his vision of the presidency---his own presidency--realistic?  The short answer, in my opinion, is no. And I don't say this because much of his vision is wrong (and I disagree with many of his policies especially those on foreign policy, fighting the war on terror and national defense. I'm still not comfortable with his explanation regarding those racially insensitive newsletters that went out under his name in the 1990's. He also has a "blame America" mentality that causes me concern).  I say this because much of what he would want to do would be "almost" impossible. For example, with regard to the Fed and his desire to eliminate incomes taxes, he would need congressional approval. There's almost zero chance that would happen. His desire to bring our troops home from all overseas bases---would not happen. Many of his foreign policy initiatives would never see the light of day. His promise to cut many of the federal cabinets---no chance.
• So, at the end of the day, who are we left with in Ron Paul? Some might call him a tad eccentric. I would tend to agree with that assessment. But I believe there's something more going on here.  I believe we're left with a sincere man who has helped build an awareness among many Americans that serious change is needed. We're left with a politician whose elevated his stature on the American political stage. His influence cannot be denied. So much so, I believe he can leverage this to perhaps even becoming a more legitimate force in American politics. Would I like to see him as president? No. Would I like to see him continue in his role as major player in the political process? Absolutely. And if he's done anything, he's done that. And that my friends is what America is all about.

Mayor Nutter: A Politician With Balls; Are Americans Really That Pissed At Those Marines?; Obama Didn't Want To Take Photos With The Troops; Romney Winning Southern Conservatives; Conservatives Outnumber Liberals---Again; Kardashians Going Down

A 99 year old guy and his 96 year old wife are getting divorced.  They never got along and people are asking, "Why did you wait so long to get a divorce?" And they said, "We wanted to wait until the kids were dead."---Letterman

• Finally, a politician with some balls. If you haven't heard the story about Mayor Nutter of Philadelphia reacting to yet more murders in Philadelphia this week (three kids were shot dead in their vehicle apparently over some comments on Facebook), it's worth a read. He said at a news conference: "The first way to stop this kind of stuff is for young people to be home when they are suppose to be home and for adults not to act like idiots and assholes..." This salty language is not new to Nutter. After the Phillies took the 2008 World Series, he warned Philadelphians, "You can be joyous; you cannot be a jackass." I'd support this guy for president if he ever decided to run for the Office (even if he does look like Erkel).

• Yesterday the story broke about several Marines ALLEGEDLY peeing on some dead Taliban terrorists. As I wrote yesterday, if they did do it; it was a knucklehead act and the consequences will most likely cost them their careers. But let's put this in perspective. Some nitwits on the left are already referring to this stupid act a "war crime." (The Uber Left Rag, Huffinton Post, has a piece entitled, "Video of Marine Atrocities  Highlights Split Between Right Wing and Our Military"). It is truly amazing how much effort the left and the anti-military crowd will place in events such as this one (and it is a diplomatic nightmare), yet hardly shed a tear when we lose our own to these murdering thugs. For that matter, when these murdering thugs chop heads off or stone women and gays to death (have these people already forgotten the torture Dan Pearl and Nick Berg went through while these thugs were cutting their heads off on video?). These maggots on the left are always looking for the next Abu Ghraib so they can continue trashing our troops. In fact, some have even raised the possibility that this action violates The Geneva Convention. The fact is Americans have more to worry about than a few misguided Marines taking a leak on some dead scumbags. Right now, this is probably in the hands of NCIS. We should all hold off making any judgements until their investigation concludes.

Unemployment #'s Up + Retail Flat; Wasserman Is A Maggot; Where Is The Republican Leadership?; Health Care Spending Will Surprise You; Marines Allegedly Pee on Taliban; After The Billions, Haiti Still A Mess; Child Found Abandoned In Occupy D.C.; Twinkies Will Survive; Khloe: Who Is Your Daddy?

My Horoscope in The Onion Today: Pisces: Nothing will be able to prepare you for the sense of dread and fear you'll experience when you suddenly realize your life has meaning and purpose again.

• When you go to the polls in November, keep one important thing in mind when you pull that lever...look up. It should make your voting decision a lot easier.

• That's Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) above. She's chair of the DNC. She's also a maggot. That's right!!!  I said it and wrote it. She's a maggot. This week, in reminding her audience of the Tuscon shooting a year ago when Gabby Giffords was shot and several others killed, this maggot blamed the Tea Party for the shooting. Forget the fact  the shooter is in a mental health facility because he has some serious mental health problems. He has not even gone to trial yet because he's so disconnected from reality.  He even refuses to take his medications. Forget the fact he had absolutely no connection with the Tea Party or any political party for that matter. But don't forget this fact: she's a bottom-feeding maggot. And I love her, because, like Slo Joe Biden (note, even Biden has more class than this piece of garbage), she's the gift that keeps on giving. The Republican Party should count their blessings every day that she speaks for the Democratic National Committee.
• Speaking of leadership, where the heck is the Republican leadership?  Where's Speaker Boehner. Where's Eric Cantor (the guy was all over the tube before the real campaigning started).
• "Recession is Over News"---Gee, first time unemployment claims shot up to almost 400,000 last week. I thought, after last week, we were moving in the right direction?  In fact, this rise is the highest in almost two months. One more thing. The numbers last week---that the administration proclaimed as a sign things were improving---were revised UP.
• On top of that bad jobs news, MSNBC reported retail sales were flat in December. December? Isn't there a real important holiday that month when people usually spend a lot of money on gifts? I wonder what happened (I know. It was George's fault).
• What percentage of patients accounts for half of all health care spending? Don't feel bad if you don't know or if you guessed a big number. The actual number is 5% according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In fact, just 1% of Americans account for 22% of health care costs (2009 data). It comes out to $90,000 per patient.
• There's a video and report circulating now that shows some Marines allegedly peeing on dead Taliban terrorist thugs.  If true, they're knuckleheads and their careers are over. But many are making a big deal of it (this is the type of story that the Left and military haters just love to exploit) . In other words, it's okay to hunt down and kill these murderous thugs; but hey, don't pee on them. I have one suggestion for anyone in the military who decides to pee on a dead scumbag who just tried to kill him or some innocent civilian: don't do it on video.

Romney's New Hampshire Victory; Why Ron Paul Won't Win; Obama Losing Hollywood?; Occupy D.C.'s Rats; Nanny Bloomberg Is At It Again; The Teacher That Could Not Spell

During the debate last Saturday night, Hunstman spoke Chinese. Not to be outdone during the debate, Newt ate Chinese.---Conan

• Memo to Republicans: Stop trying to be like Reagan. There was only one. And none of you even come close. Nuff said.

• As most know by now, Romney took New Hampshire. Ron Paul came in second with  Huntsman third. Newt, whose surge appears to have crested, came in 4th. Santorum's surge also appears to have hit a speed bump.  But New Hampshire, smamshire, it's only importance is that it's the first primary and gets massive media coverage. The race really starts in South Carolina and Florida. 
• How predictable is the New Hampshire primary for either picking the party's nominee or the president? I let you decide. In 2004, that fake, phony and back-stabbing fraud, John F. Kerry won. In 2000, it was another fake, phony and fraud, Al Gore. For Republicans in 2000, McCain beat George W. Bush for the Republican side. In 1992, Paul Tsongas---Paul, friggin who?--- won New Hampshire for the Democrats. A little known Bill Clinton came in second in that race. In 1996, Pat Buchanan bested Bob Dole. A rare exception was in 2008, when McCain did beat out Romney. You get the picture.
• Does anyone really believe Ron Paul has a chance? I know the Ron Paul supporters are passionate. But seriously folks, he is going nowhere. However, I will give some shout outs to his supporters. They really love the guy, and I don't see that passion with supporters of the others running. In fact, Ron Paul was the choice of 48% of the voters under 30 according to Fox News Exit Polls.  He also edged out with voters making under $50k a year. And he won the Independent vote by a margin of 4 points. 
• But this is where I think it breaks down for Ron Paul. In Iowa and N.H. only 50-56% of Ron Paul voters identified themselves as Republicans according to recent surveys. Whereas, in N.H. almost 90% of Romney voters idenfied themselves as Republicans. He gets about 36% of his support from Independents and 26% from Democrats. In other words, he leads in NON-REPUBLICAN categories. In other words, when he loses, many of his supporters will probably vote for Pres. Obama. And even though South Carolina has an open primary, he's in 4th there according to Real Clear Politics.  He's also in 4th place in Florida and they have a closed primary. Romney leads in both states at about 32-33% followed by Santorum. Of course, things can change. They always do.
• So my challenge to Ron Paul supporters: If I'm wrong about him---I'll eat my computer (And, I swear, I've never eaten a computer in my life. I wouldn't even know where to start although the mouse does look somewhat appetizing after I've had a few Scotches).
• Question now is: Who will be the next guy to drop out? My money is on Rick Perry.
• Washington Times reported that Romney raised almost $25 million in the last quarter. That's a big number. None of the others running can come close.
• Whatever critics say about the records of the current crop of Republicans running for office, know this: Obama's record is worse

Kardashian To Be Replaced By A Dog; Did Romney Really Say That?; Tebow Time; The Myth of the Arab Spring Update; Guess Who Is Out-Polling Pres. Obama?; Andy Carey Yankee Great Dead at 80; Beyonce and Jay-Z Said They Did Not Act Like Aholes

Mexico has just completed a bridge that is one of the world's highest. In fact, it clears the fence along our borders by a good 50 feet.---Leno

• "Kim Kardashian To Be Replaced By A Dog" is not a headline from The Onion. It's a headline from this blog and it's true. Reports coming out of Hollywood are Kim will be replaced by a French Bulldog in a Super Bowl commercial for Sketchers. Now seriously friends, who would you rather watch on TV, Kim (above) or the French Bulldog (below)? I'd say it's a slam dunk for the French Bulldog myself.

• Did Romney really say that? In Nashua, NH, Romney was quoted as having said, "I like being able to fire people who provide services to me."  His critics, both on the Left and Right (Newt, Huntsman and Perry foolishly jumped on this bashing bandwagon) criticized him for the alleged heartless-sounding remark. Problem is---they didn't listen to Romney's entire statement. It's crystal clear what Romney was referring to was bad SERVICE. Because that's exactly what the rest of his statement was. Here it is in context: "You know, if someone isn't giving good SERVICE, I want to say, I'm going to get someone else to provide this service to." We've all said that about poor service at automobile dealerships, poor customer service at restaurants and retail shops. But, the media and the Obama administration will have a field day with, "...I like being able to fire people..." That's clip will be played over and over again and the stupids will fall for it. The quote by Carlin below says it all.

• I'm not happy that Tim Tebow lucked out in beating The Steelers, but I am happy that pro sports appears to have a legit good and classy role model. Considering all the misfits and thugs in professional sports, he should be praised not hammered.
• While I'm on sports, Andy Carey is dead at 80. He was the NY Yankees 3rd baseman throughout the 1950's and he took part in two World Series. But Andy is more important to me than most athletes. You see, while growing up in the Bronx as a kid and Yankee fan, my very first glove---a glove I loved more than anything I've ever owned in my life---was an Andy Carey model. RIP Andy. Thanks for giving me so much joy as a kid.
• "The Myth of the Arab Spring" Update: It's now clear that Islamic thugs will win most of the elections. The Muslim Brotherhood won 40% of the seats in the first two rounds of voting. And the Salasfist Al-Noor Party has taken 20% of the seats. They support full Islamic Sharia Law. But, a big question remains: Will the military dictatorship allow those thugs to take power?

Tebow Bests Steelers; National Debt Reaches A Milestone; Why So Quiet About Syria; No Mention of Caylee; They Are Watching You; Beyonce and Her Baby's Entourage; Occupy: What To Do With All That Money?; PTSD Information

"Grandma Upgrades To Cordless Landline."---from The Onion's "Extra" News.

• For every Steeler fan like myself, last night was a night to forget. Credit where credit is due: Tebow had a good game. Can't take that away from him. But the game reminded me of virile young guys taking on some old timers. They should have held the game in a hospital parking lot considering the multiple injuries on the Steelers. But injuries are part of the game. And on that given Sunday, the better team won. I'll leave the Bronco fans with one suggestion, look up.
• The U.S. national debt, now over $15.2 trillion, reached in the last few days. Our national debt is now as big as our entire economy. In short, this marks the point when our entire debt is as big as everything our country produces. Including the U.S, who also shares this shame? None other than Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Iceland.  Most of these Euro countries are also the root of the European economic crisis. And if you want to see how quickly the debt actually rises each second, each minute, each hour...Go here: http://www.usdebtclock.org/ .  You will see it in real time.
•  Sometimes I wonder who is actually reading my blog. All bloggers do. Last week, I said Iowa reminded me of musical chairs. Tony Perkins, head honcho of the Family Research Council, said this in just the last few days: "Iowa was political musical chairs." Probably just a coincidence.
• Recall not too long ago, the Obama administration was vociferous about change in Egypt and Libya. Why have they been so silent about the slaughter that is taking place in Syria, especially the president?
• Did you know that the U.S. Senate has not passed a budget since April of 2009 or almost 1000 days? And who can you blame for that? That back-stabbing, fake, phony and fraud Harry Reid.
• Memo to Republicans and Conservative and Reasonable Democrats: Remember who the real problem is in Washington D.C.  It's Pres. Obama. In closing in on 3 years of his administration, the country appears weaker (and will become weaker still if all these defense cuts go thru) and still very unemployed.
• Speaking of cuts in the defense budget, I think I have a better idea. Why not cuts in those useless government departments like Education, Commerce and the EPA?  Consider this. The Dept. of Education does NOT teach one child in America. All these departments do is create more regulations and more red tape. They are a waste of taxpayer's money.