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NASA Space shuttle fueling test looks successful
Southern Ledger - July 4, 2009 |
PC makers voluntarily supply Web filter in China
Southern Ledger - July 4, 2009 |
Michelle Obama bringing glamour to Moscow
Southern Ledger - July 4, 2009 |
Woods and Kim tied for lead at Congressional
Southern Ledger - July 4, 2009 |
Moyers strong start helps Phillies beat Mets
Southern Ledger - July 4, 2009 |
Morneau leads Twins in 4-3 comeback win vs. Tigers
Southern Ledger - July 4, 2009 |
Reports Turkoglu headed to Toronto Raptors
Southern Ledger - July 4, 2009 |
Federer takes on Roddick, history at Wimbledon
Southern Ledger - July 4, 2009 |
Former NFL quarterback McNair killed in Tennessee
Southern Ledger - July 4, 2009 |
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WAITING FOR FRED.
July 29, 2007 -
August 3, 2007
Over the past several weeks the Fred Thompson non-campaign campaign for President has gained momentum with top flight advisors coming on board, impressive poll results in key primary states, and enthusiastic crowds in Alabama, Texas and California urging him on. Yet, an increasing number of political pundits, media types, and Thompson supporters (known sometimes as “Frednecks,” “Fredheads,” or “Frederalists”) have questioned why Thompson is delaying his “official” entry into the race. Some have even speculated that he is having second thoughts about running at all. While other candidates clamor for attention, it seems that most eyes are turned expectantly toward Fred.
There were early news reports that his campaign would begin on July 4, but that date was never seriously under consideration by the Thompson “testing the waters” operation. In fact, many “delays” in the Thompson announcement have been based on erroneous dates tossed about by those who were not actually “in the know.” It now appears that Thompson’s campaign for President will officially get underway sometime the first week in September.
Unlike all of the other presidential campaigns, which formed long before the national media was paying attention, the Thompson campaign is being assembled under intense scrutiny. Every staff addition, exit or change is the subject of detailed analysis and second-guessing. Anybody who doesn’t get the job they want, or doesn’t keep the job they had, can create controversy by making a few “background” calls to reporters starving for a story.
The modern media environment is a twenty four hour a day monster that constantly demands feeding. A front-running presidential campaign that doesn’t provide the ravenous “beast” something to eat on a regular basis will soon find itself being gnawed upon. That is part of the challenge that Thompson currently faces. Interest in the impending Thompson campaign is extremely high. Currently there are no regular policy statements being issued by the campaign because there is not yet a policy team. No regular campaign events are scheduled because there is not yet a full advance team or event schedule in place. All the other trappings of a campaign are missing because there is not yet a campaign.
Instead, there is a giant vacuum that will eventually be filled by the Thompson campaign. In the meantime, reporters assigned to cover the Thompson non-campaign campaign are expected to report something even while there is not really anything to report...yet. That is why we read stories about disgruntled staffers, Jeri Thompson’s cleavage, and political experts questioning each other about “what is taking Thompson so long to enter the race?”
Much of the media obsession with the “delay” in an official announcement is a function of overlooking the reality of what it takes to put together a national campaign. Some of the “delays” in rolling out a full Thompson campaign structure are simply a matter of key individuals having to complete the jobs they currently have before they move onto the campaign payroll. The bottom-line is that it takes a bit of time to recruit and deploy a national campaign staff of policy advisors, fundraisers and political operatives while simultaneously pulling together organizations in key early primary battlegrounds like Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida, etc. It is a large and complicated task; but a process that takes time is not one that is necessarily “delayed.”
All of the stories of the past few weeks, and in the month to come, will soon be meaningless as the Thompson presidential campaign officially gets under way and starts dishing out enough “meat” to keep the “beast” well fed. In the meantime, the other candidates already traveling down the presidential campaign highway should be aware that a certain large, looming figure in their rear view mirror is much closer that it appears. |
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PERHAPS WE SHOULD BE MORE ENGLISH. -
July 15, 2007 -
July 22, 2007
“The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers” is one of the most often quoted lines from any of Shakespeare’s plays. It comes from Henry VI. It is also seldom, if ever, quoted in context.
The speaker in the play is NOT someone frustrated with the excesses of an overly legalistic and litigious society who is seeking a creative (though violent) route to establishing sanity in a system gone awry. Instead, it is an anarchist who recognizes that the quickest and most efficient way to... |
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PRO-ABORTIONISTS LAUNCH ATTACK ON FRED THOMPSON. -
July 8, 2007 -
July 15, 2007
Last week a woman named Judith DeSarno, who was once President of the pro-abortion National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, said that in 1991 she hired then-attorney and lobbyist Fred Thompson to lobby on behalf of her organization. Thompson is on the verge of entering the Republican primary for President of the United States, so her claim made big news across the country despite the complete absence of anything tangible that might back up her story.
Presumably, DeS... |
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RACIALLY OFFENSIVE STATEMENTS OFTEN GET A PASS. -
July 1, 2007 -
July 8, 2007
Just a few short months ago there was collective outrage over the “racist” and “sexist” comments of radio and television talk host Don Imus. He was forced from his radio perch after he referred to the predominantly black Rutgers women’s basketball team as “nappy headed hos.” The comment was both stupid and inaccurate, but it was typical of the outrageous comments that Imus has made over the years.
He apologized profusely, both on air and to the girls themselves, but that did not save h... |
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WHY THE DEMAND FOR UNTRACEABLE CELL PHONES? -
June 24, 2007 -
June 30, 2007
Recently there has been an inexplicable rush on untraceable, disposable cell phones by young Muslim men here in the United States. The continued surge in the purchase of these phones -- the kind that can be used and easily discarded to avoid wiretaps; the kind that are used to detonate bombs – deserves a lot more attention.
A few months ago two men were arrested in Ohio and charged with money laundering in support of terrorism. The two men, Osama Sabhi Abdulhassan and Ali Houssaiky, we... |
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AMNESTY DETAILS START TO EMERGE. -
May 20, 2007 -
May 27, 2007
The details of the secret “deal” constructed by the Bush Administration, Ted Kennedy and John McCain that will grant amnesty and immediate legal status to millions of illegals currently are slowly starting to emerge. And as usual, the details are proving devilish.
We have been told that there are 12 million illegal aliens in the country. Some estimates put the number much, much higher, closer to 20 million. The new Z-visa that is at the center of the amnesty plan does not put a cap on... |
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