Over the last few days, both President Obama and SecDef Panetta have felt the need to opine that the Army Sgt in custody for killing Afghani civilians could well face the death penalty for his crimes.

Where’s the call for patience, the need to wait and let the investigation run its course. Why so eager to toss this soldier under the bus? Aside from possibly attempting to exert “undue command influence” in the case, it’s curious to compare the comments from the WH after Maj Nidal Hasan  killed 13, and wounded 29 others at Ft. Hood  on November 5, 2009.

Yes, it’s nearly 2 1/2 years since this act of fanatical Muslim terrorism occured on our soil, yet still no trial. Indeed, we are still paying the Major his salary, while providing him with the finest medical care.

At the time of the shooting, we were told it was NOT a terrorist act.  Instead, the DoD spokesman parroted the official line, that this was an “isolated and tragic case.”  Yah, right..f’sure.

Indeed,  Obama was holding a  scheduled press conference shortly after news of the Ft. Hood massacre broke, and he was asked to comment.

“We don’t know all the answers yet, and I would caution against jumping to conclusions until we have all of the facts.”

Well, Mr. President, since your ill advised comments, we’ve since learned that the soldier in question is a combat veteran of Iraq who suffered a serious, traumatic brain injury, yet returned to active duty to once again defend his country.

You were quick to tell us NOT to take Hasan’s murders as representative of Muslim sentiment towards Americans…well, how about telling your good buddy, Karzai, to go pound sand after his egregious comments which can only put American troops at risk.

About what one would expect from a president who owns up to being “generally proud” of our troops.

Opening today’s Tampa Bay Times ( formerly the St. Pete Times, aka the NY Times southern edition) I was suprised ( well, not really)  to see the bottom  of the FRONT page devoted to “Limbaugh’s language” ..replete with pics of El Rushbo and Ms. Fluke and quotes from both individuals.

Obviously the left thinks they have an issue here, and Boehner’s quick fold suggests that, at least inside the Bewltway, they may be correct.

But what’s not being mentioned is that by thrusting himself ( OK, I said it) into this kerfluffle, Obama is elevating Rush to equivalent stature.

Remember Slick Willie’s plaintive cry , while on AF One, that it’s sooo unfair that Rush, and others, have all that air time, because the poor ole prez can’t get his message out. Well, how’d that work out?

Obama continues to debase the office of the president. Too all those who used to giggle at how W. occasionally mangled the English language, well, how to they enjoy Obama’s attempt to appear one of the masses, speaking a form of preacher-like Eubonics, in describing the virtues of the Chevy Volt.

“It drives good. Gonna get me one when I leave office…”

Mr. President,  we’re going to help get you that brand new Volt, in just under a year.

As I write this, I have no idea who will be the GOP nominee. Indeed, my home, Tampa, may well be the center of the universe in a few months, if indeed we end up with a brokered convention.

And as the GOP is  again attempting to “snatch defeat from the jaws of victory,”  we could see Obama re-elected.

Except for…….the price of gas.

National polls are worthless. This election will be decided in the key battleground states, some 10-13 in number. And for the GOP nominee to win, we will need to capture the votes of independents and disaffected Democrats in these battleground states.

As the price of gas surges past $4.00, and some projections have it hitting $5.00 across the country by summer, this will be the deciding issue for a great many voters.

During the Bush presidency, when gas prices passed $4.00, every day the Democrats, and the MSM, beat the drums that this was all “Bush’s fault.”

Now they’re trying to ignore it, or spin it..it’s due to the Middle East, or the Japanese earthquake, or whatever…anything to try and deflect it from Obama.

It won’t work.

It’s a visceral issue. You gas up your car once, or twice, a week, and your jaw drops at the total on the pump. And it’s gonna get worse, not better.

And the voters aren’t stupid…they WILL make the connection. And even the GOP won’t be able to screw it up. The GOP campaign needs to point out the Republicans have a plane to lower gas prices, create jobs, and help to end our dependency on foreign oil.

So, each week, for the next few months, as you fill up you car, view the extra $20-40 it’s costing you as a contribution to help defeat Obama. And console youself with the thought that all of Obama’s supporters are paying the same freight.

And, oh yeah…each week, don’t forget to make sure that your tires are properly inflated. Otherwise you migh be accused of being, well..partisan.

Florida has spoken, and decisively, to my surprise. Newt and Rick will have to do some serious thinking about where they go next.

But Ann Romney will be a gracious first lady, and a welcome change from Michelle Obama.

And so, Ann gets my vote..

Ignore all those polls that show  Mittens rising, and Newt dropping, and all this supposedly within a few days, and all just because the audience wasn’t allowed to applaud wildly at the NBC debate Monday night? 

You’ve got to be kidding.

Newt wins Florida comfortably, by 10 pts, and possible more if Santorum withdraws.

Can I remind all the pundits that it was not too long ago that the GOP base decisively turned their backs on a squishy Republican, Charlie Crist, who thought he’d have a cakewalk to the nomination, and instead went for a conservative, Marco Rubio, so much so that Crist flip-flopped and ran as an independent, and still lost, BIG.

Yes, Newt has some baggage, and Santorum has run a commendable campaign, and is still garnering support, but there is NO WAY in an orange grove that the same base that went wild for Rubio a little while back is suddenly going to embrace Mitt.

Ain’t gonna happen.

I was an early supporter of Rubio, shortly after he announced his candidacy. Living in Tampa, I noticed early on that Rubio bumper stickers  outnumbered Crist’s by more than 10-1.

A very good sign.

I can tell you that I can count on the fingers of ONE hand the number of bumper stickers/yard signs that I’ve seen for Mitt. And if you can’t get your people to at least display your name, well..your “support” is very thin, at best.

Best organized here in the bay area are the Paul folks. Signs everywhere, and they are out at major intersections. Gotta love their passion and committment.

But I’ve seen way more for Newt and Santorum…heck, I’ve seen more PERRY bumper stickers than I’ve seen for Mittens.

In a nutshell..Romney loses….and his campaign won’t recover.

I’m watching the GOP debate as I type this, and was suddenly struck by the fact that MSNBC, the self-proclaimed “place for politics” is absent.

Indeed during the first break, I switched over to MSNBC,a nd here’s Rachel Maddow, ostensibly the biggest star in t hat miniscule firmament..talkign about the Patriots win over the Ravens.

Whassup with that?

Did MSNBC perhaps lean “too far forward?” Or did the presumptive adults at NBC..with the new Comcast bosses laying down the law..decide to exclude the MSNBC/Politico hacks from the debate arena.. No pre debate show…will there be a post debate spin room? will Chris Matthews get a chance to salivate and go off on the GOP candidates?

Will the Ed show originate from Disney World to cover the debate?

Just wondering..but  I’m sure they are many here at RS who can opine as to what goes on, and what’s going on tonight.

MSNBC gets frozen out of the debate by the parent network, NBC. Who ever whould have thunk it?

Think about it. Just let your mind contemplate it. It would be without a doubt one of the single greates political moments in American history.

Erick  has posted today, in a thoughtful and well reasoned piece,  the reasons why Gov. Perry should withdraw from the race, and endorse Newt.  I agree. I have supported Perry from the day he announced his candidacy. But, for a myriad of reasons, which will be the subject of lengthy post-mortems, his candidacy did not catch fire.

It is now time for Perry to withdraw from the race, especially so after his excellent performance at Monday night’s debate.  It makes one think..”if only..”

But I would disagree with Erick in one respect. He suggests that it is imperative that Perry withdraw before tomorrow night’s debate.

Wrong!!!

Instead, Perry should do something that is as big, brash, and bold as the Governor’s persona, and the great state of Texas that he so ably leads…announce AT THE START OF THE DEBATE that he is dropping out, and endorsing Newt.

We’ve just seen the  carefully choreographed departure of Huntsman, and his pretentious lecture to the other candidates about the need to be “nice,” and the immediate endorsement of Romney, only a few days after Huntsman had been savaging him in NH.

Well, Gov. Perry..show them how politics is played in Texas. Time to go “all in”

Tomorrow night, after the candidates appear on the stage, and just as Blitzer starts to explain the rules, Governor Perry should interrupt, announce that he has something very important to say before the debate starts, thank his supporters, and say that he has decided tgo withdraw from the race, and endorse Newt for the nomination.

I’m condensing it here, you all can write the words in your own minds.

But again, THINK ABOUT IT.

The audience for the debate tomorrow will be huge, likely the biggest ever. Perry finishes his comments, shakes hands with each of the others on stage, Newt last..gives him a Texas bearhug, waves, and walks off the stage to sit down front in the audience next to his wife.

Amazing moment. One for the ages.

It will propel Newt to a BIG win in SC, and boost his standing in the national polls. More importantly, much more so, the pressure on Santorum to follow Perry’s example will be enormous. And nobody will focus on anything that Mitt or Paul have to say that night.

And even if Santorum doesn’t  withdraw, his numbers will erode overnight.  He’ll likely have to drop out before Florida.

And Newt v. Perry.. ( Paul will stay in and get his 10%) well..Mitt’s a goner.

Gov. Perry, your entry into the race was dramatic, last minute, and all but overshadowed the Iowa straw poll.  You can really “go out with a bang” and shape the race, and help Newt to win the nomination.

And it will be absolutely amazing..one for the ages.

Mitt Romney is very likely to become the GOP nominee, pirmarily because conservatives, who are the overwhelming majority of the party, are unable to coalesce around either Gingrich, Santorum, or Perry.

Mitt Romney will also lose to Obama.

This will be a bitter pill to swallow. There is no way to sugarcoat that fact. We should have been able to make Obama a “one term wonder”

But because it is in the nature of conservatives to be eternally optimistic ( I speak as someone whose first involvement in a political campaign was handing out Goldwater literature at NYC subway stations) we can anticipate at least one benefit, if not more, from Romney’s loss.

NO MORE SQUISHES.

 After McCain, after Romney, the so called GOP “establishment” will have had its day.  They can’t win. Everything they have told us about how to win a national election will have proven to have failed, to be false.

And so, for years to come, we will not be bothered with having to deal with any more moderates, so called “nuanced” conservatives…middle of the roaders..their time will have passed.

The GOP will hold the House, and indeed, after the redistricting is complete in al states, and we see further Democrat retirements, I think the GOP will actually gain a few seats. The so-called “moderate blue-dawg House Democrat will finally be declared an extinct species.

The GOP will take control of the Senate, likely with a 55+ seat majority, and be well positioned to achieve a filibuster-proof majority in 2014. ( Don’t take my word for it..just look at the list of Dems up in 2014)

More importantly, the GOP caucuses in both the House and Senate will be much more conservative, and they will exert considerable pressure on their leadership NOT to aquiesce to any of Obama’s radical agenda.

Obama will have four more years to do considerable damage to the nation.  There is no way to sugarcoat that. The new Congress will have to find its way on Day 1 in order to stop Obamacare. That will be the defining battle of the next Congress.

But Mitt’s “greatest” contribution to the GOP,and to the country, in his defeat, will be that finally the party establishment is sent packing.

The day after the 2012 election, Obama is a lame duck, and speculation already focuses on 2016. And the Democrat race will be between Biden and Hillary. There is no other Democrat on the horizon that even remotely has a chance. And Biden and Hillary are old, tired, has-beens.

Contrast that with the GOP. We are blessed with a stable of savvy, young, highly intelligent, photogenic conservatives, who are just coming into national prominence, and they will wage a spirited campaign for the nomination.

Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan, Nikki Haley. Ron Johnson, Jim DeMint…just to name a few.

I will of course vote for Romney. And hope that he somehow manages to win. But  I won’t have a MITT bumper sticker on my car. All my efforts, my enthusiam, and my $$ will be devoted to a few key House and Senate races that I deem vital.

Here in Florida, we will send a second Sen Nelson into retirement, and it is imperative that we re-elect Allen West to the House. In Ohio, Josh Mandel is well positioned to defeat  the thoroughly detestable Sherrod Brown.

And of course, even before we get to November, Scott Walker will need the support, and the $$$ from conservatives all across this nation.

Those are my key races this year. Others will have their own. They are a great many worthwhile conservatives running who merit our support.

Mitt Romney just doesn’t happen to be one of them.

Unlike Shakespeare’s Thane of Cawdor, who at his death, “confessed his treasons,” and “set forth a deep repentence,”  Mitt has failed to do either. He continues to flip-flop, to equivocate, and think that just by telling the people now what he thinks they want to hear, that he can win.

There is only one possible reason for any conservative to enthusiastically support Romney; his win would all but ensure that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir would appear at the White House during Christmas.

So Romney’s parting “gift” will in the very manner of his leaving. No more will we be forced to settle for the lesser nominee. And that will be his political epitaph.

So Romney’s

This will be a bitter pill to swallow. W had every expectation

Some may recall National Review‘s “Prophet of the Year” contest. I thought it would interesting, and fun, to see what Red Staters think about what’s going to happen in 2012.

There are 25 questions…all TRUE or FALSE. We’ll store the responses, tote them up at the end of the year, and announce the results. Maybe we can get Erick to contribute a prize for the winner.

Obviously, the contest closes before kick-off time next  Monday night.

For ease in tabulating, kindly submit your answers in the following manner:

1 T, 2F, 3F, ……

**********************************************************

1. Alabama beats LSU for the BCS championship

2. Other than the current 6 GOP nominees, at least one more will announce a run for the nomnation

3. Eric Holder will still be Atty General at year’s end.

4. Michelle Obama is pregnant

5. During 2012, there will be at least one terrorist attack on US soil that results in civilian fatalities.

6. Miami Heat wins the NBA championship

7. At any time  during 2012, the price of a regular gallon of gasoline exceeds $4.00/gallon anywheres in the  US. ( Alaska and Hawaii excluded)

8. At least one of the following will die during 2012: Frank Lautenberg, Prince Phillip, Nancy Reagan, Jerry Sandusky

9. Hillary Clinton will replace Joe Biden on the Dem ticket

10. Gov. Scott WSalker will be recalled

11.  The Yankees will win the World Series.

12. The GOP nominee will not be decided until the convention in Tampa.

13. There will eb a terrorist attack in London during the 2012 Olympics that results in at least one civilian fatality

14. Meryl Streep wins the Oscar for her portrayal of Lady Thatcher.

15. At any time during 2012, the DJIA closes below 10,000.

16. New England Patriots win the Super Bowl

17. Kate Middleton has a girl ( careful: semi-tricky question)

18.  Either Greece or Portugal formally default during 2012.

19. The missing $1.2 billion from Corizine’s MF Global is accounted for..IOW..we find out where it all went..who got it

20. Israel launches an attack on Iran’s nuclear sites.

21. Marco Rubio is the GOP VP nominee,

22. Obama is re-elected.

23. Harry Reid is the minority leader in the next Congress.

24. Nancy Pelosi does not seek re-election as Minority leader, and retires

25. Over 2000 Iraqis will die in terrorist attacks during 2012.

TIE BREAKER: The DJIA will close at __?___ on 12/31/2012.

The number closest, either over or under, will win.

Good luck to all..

2.

Republicans agree that Obama’s so-called recess apts yesterday are illegal. So, who has standing to file the lawsuit? I’ve read that the US Chamber of Commerce may do so.  But shouldn’t the GOP leadership in Congress..especially the Senate, file the suit to challenge it, and also demand that the Supreme Court take it on an expidited basis?