Senator Hilary Clinton’s campaign took a major step towards securing the party’s nomination this week.  The press started attacking her.

 
The loser is Barack Obama.

 
Now the Senator’s poll numbers are dropping and Obama’s are on the rise.  This plays perfectly into the Senator’s hand.

 
If you wonder why this is so, please let me explain. 

 
In modern politics, Democrats are reported in a predictable pattern.  A strong candidate starts to emerge from the pack.  Seeing a threat, the right wing bloggers begin to attack.  The right wing radio talk show hosts then pick up the attacks.  Once it is on the air, Fox News feels justified in intensifying their coverage of the story.

 
The major networks quickly follow.  After all, they too want to be “fair and balanced.”  If the allegations are successful in bringing down the leader then the candidate who has benefited from the leader’s demise is then in turn attacked.

 
So here is a prediction.  As Obama gains strength, he too will be attacked.  Watch for the rise of John Edwards and then his struggle to offset his new, right wing discovered liabilities.

 
As Edwards goes down, here comes Senator Clinton in a stunning comeback to win Iowa.

 
History confirms this theory.  Just ask John Kerry.

 
I do not normally endorse Presidential candidates.  I help all who ask (and some do) because I feel they all deserve a fair shot at winning or doing well in Iowa.

 
 
However, I must take exception to articles I read last week coming from the Clinton campaign.  If she doesn’t do well here, the argument goes, it is because Iowans won’t vote for a woman.

 
 
We are, in a word, sexist.

 
 
But we can prove we are not by voting for her.  It is a win/win argument.

 
 
Whether she feels that way or it is simply spin coming from her staff, the Clinton campaign is showing that they haven’t learned much about us.

 
 
I was going to research how many women we have in the State Legislature, how many are members of a County Board of Supervisors, how many judges, how many mayors and members of a City Council.  Then I realized it wasn’t necessary.

 
 
Just a couple of examples would suffice.

 
 
I’ll bet Clinton’s statement about the prejudice of Iowa was news to Patty Judge, the Lt. Governor and former Secretary of Agriculture.  Bonnie Campbell, a great backer of the Clinton campaign, needs to remind them that she was Attorney General.  We shouldn’t forget Elaine Baxter, former Secretary of State or Joy Corning, the former Lt. Governor.  Mary Lundby, the Iowa Senate Minority Leader, deserves mention too.

 
 
Granted, we have yet to elect a female governor, but the Democratic Party nominated both Campbell and Roxanne Conlin to try.

 
 
There are many reasons to vote for Senator Clinton.  Proving Iowa voters are not sexist isn’t one of them.

I don’t know the man, but I feel very sorry for him.  I don’t know how he’ll ever recover.

 
 
I am writing about poor Stan O’Neal, the former CEO of Merrill Lynch.  Without cause they fired him, shoved him out the door and gave him a very modest separation package.

 
 
Now some you are going to get picky by pointing out that he wasn’t doing that great of job.  O.K, I admit that his performance wasn’t exactly stellar.  True the company, under his management, lost $ 2.7 billion in the last quarter and $7.9 billion in their preceding quarter because he might have sunk the money into sub-prime mortgages.  I also admit that during the crises, he wasn’t at the office.  He played twenty rounds of golf.  (See why I like him?)

 
 
For doing all that hard work for Merrill Lynch, he received a small equity package worth only  $131.4 million.  They handed it to him as he went out the door.  Oh, he gets retirement benefits worth another $24.7 million and he has $5.4 million more coming in deferred compensation.  Oh, and Merrill Lynch will provide him with an office and a secretary for the next three years (but not on the top floor).

 
 
Here is what is great about America.  In the last twelve years of a Republican Congress and seven under a Republican President, we cut his taxes.  Not just his income taxes, but taxes on dividends and capital gains as well.

 
 
Now when a Democrat raises an issue like this, we are accused of engaging in class warfare.  But this example, to the consternation of my Republican friends, does call into question whether there should be some government oversight and regulation of the free market system.

 
 
As for O’Neal there still is hope.  Maybe he saved some of the $48 million they paid him last year as his regular salary.

 
 
Just one question:  How do you even spend $48 million?

This turned out to be a great month for the State of Iowa, thanks in no small measure to the leadership of Governor Chet Culver and the Iowa Republican and Democratic Parties.           

Collectively, they kept Iowa first in the nation and in doing so insured that at least the Presidential selection process will start in a small, affordable state where everyone has a chance.  In addition, they fulfilled a pledge to candidates that we would be first.  Finally, they achieved a real boost to the Iowa economy.

Although they joined the fight late, the Republicans were actually the first to step up and show the proper resolve in defending our status.

The Democrats, although they started earlier, had to overcome some near disastrous mistakes by former Governor Vilsack and the badly mishandled initial Calendar Commission meetings.

But, under the leadership of IDP Chair Scott Brenner, the party found its sea legs, repaired the relationship with New Hampshire and, finally, sent the message that we will not let our privileged position be taken from us.

Of course, we could still have to confront this situation again if New Hampshire jumps in front of us, but I think both states again realize the importance of working and fighting together.

Just one cautionary note:  Expect to do this again in four years and for every four years thereafter.  If Iowa and New Hampshire are going to be first, we will always have to fight for it.

This one was a great victory for the State.

There could be trouble brewing for the so-called Republican front- runners. 

 
In 1988, Senator Bob Dole and Vice President George Bush were expected to wage a head-to-head battle for the hearts and votes of the GOP faithful in the Iowa Caucus.  Along came Pat Robertson.

 
To the consternation of political pundits, Dole did finish first with 37% of the vote.  But Bush finished a distant third with only 19%.  Pat Robertson, the T.V. evangelist, mobilized the far right and surged to second with 25% of the vote. 

 
No one saw it coming.

 
What does this mean for 2008?  It means watch out for Governor Mike Huckabee.  His strong showing over the weekend at a national conference for the religious right was impressive.  He wowed the crowd and buried Giuliani, Romney, McCain and Thompson.

 
If he can mobilize the Christian Right to go marching for him here in Iowa, he could be the surprise show.

 
Another fact to consider is the impact a Huckabee charge could have on the Republican field.  It may well undercut Romney and Thompson, because this portion of the conservative vote could be split three ways.  If either McCain or Giuliani could capture the majority of the moderate Republican vote, they could see their fortunes improve in Iowa.

 
Finally, keep in mind what happened to Robertson after he “won” Iowa. He was unable to capitalize.  He was basically a novice at campaigning. 

 
Huckabee does not have that limitation.

 
If the fight for the nomination turns out to be a battle between a moderate Republican and a true conservative, my money is on Huckabee.

 
In response to my tongue-in-cheek writing suggesting that we amend the Constitution to allow President Bush to run again, a writer suggested that what we really

need are term limits for Congress.

 
As my son would say, “Bad idea, Dad.”

 
When I was in Congress I was a member of the Science and Space Committee, the oversight committee for our space program.  It took me two years to learn a very basic fact:  NASA will, if not lie to you outright, mislead you to fit their agenda or that of the Administration.

 
For example, I remember spending an entire afternoon, along with the other committee members, trying to get NASA to tell us the real cost of the space station in the current day’s dollar.  The best we could get from them, despite repeated questions, was the cost in the value of l970 dollars.

 
I was a big critic of the use of the shuttle (Orbiter).  I Still am.  But NASA kept assuring us it could fly 40 missions a year, despite their own internal reports that put the maximum flight level at 12. Today, it is between four and six

 
In a different committee, I received briefings (classified) from two different intelligence agencies on the status of Cuba’s military capability.  One has them had Castro ready to bomb New York and the other held that Cuba was barely able to defend itself.

 
The point is that you need experienced representatives and senators to be able to question federal agencies, because on many occasions those in charge will withhold or deliberately misconstrue information if it conflicts with their own agenda.

 
This doesn’t mean that those who serve aren’t capable of making mistakes.  For this, look no further than the Iraq War Resolution.  But along with the freshness that new members bring, it is better for the Country to have a few old hands on board.

 
These veterans will make mistakes, but they are less likely to do so.

 
Term limits would simply insure that the President and the Departments run the nation without oversight.

What Iowa needs to do today to make a real contribution to the national debate and the selection of the next President is something that no one, to my knowledge, has thought to suggest.  Let us show the rest of the Country what we have lost.

 
Let us help the nation find again our collective sense of humor.  Or, to paraphrase words of a great American speaker, “Let the word go forth from this time and place to friend an foe alike … this generation of Iowans will again smile.”

 
When Will Rogers said, “I don’t belong to any organized political party, I’m a Democrat,” the nation laughed.

 
We don’t laugh anymore. 

We cannot poke fun at ourselves and we take things far too seriously.  In fact, I fully expect the foregoing joke will bring a United States Senate resolution of condemnation.  It will pass; too, assuming the Democrats can find enough votes for Cloture.

 
I don’t know the cause of this absence of humor.  Maybe it is hard to laugh in a time of war.  But more likely, the extremes of the two parties, who seem to believe that the fate of the nation turns on each twist of the political map, are more to blame.  To them, nothing, absolutely nothing, is funny.

 
The only immediate relief I know of is to require everyone to watch ABC’s Sunday news show and their segment called the ‘Sunday Funnies’.

 
But the long-term solution is, that when humor crops into any of these candidates’ speeches, we should all stand and applaud.

There is no question; the Constitution of the United States of America needs amending.  It is in the interest of both political parties to do so.           

I am writing about the 22^nd Amendment, which prohibits a President from serving more than two terms.  We seriously considered doing it for Ronald Reagan and we should do it now.

As an aside, this is assuming President Bush believes this applies to him.  But you never know. 

But assuming it does, such an amendment would enable him to run again. 

I don’t understand why the Republicans aren’t pushing this more.  He has tried to plant the flower of democracy in the Middle East, he has cut taxes for the wealthy, attempted to alter Social Security; and has appointed conservative judges to the Supreme Court.

The President has tried to do everything the Republicans have called for in their platform.

I hereby call for all who are interested to join Nagle’s Drive to Amend the Constitution.  Heck, I already know almost 600,000 registered Iowa Democrats who will sign the petition.

Best of all, the Republicans could run on their record.

One of my favorite movies is “Heaven Can Wait” in which a fellow is prematurely taken from this earth to beyond the pearly gates.  He keeps arguing that he shouldn’t be there.  Finally, in disgust, he is taken before the St. Peter-like character, Mr. Jordan.

The angel reassures Mr. Jordan, being told of the soul’s contention, that “everyone here knows he is wrong”.

 Mr. Jordan replies, “The likelihood of one individual being right increases in direct proportion to the intensity with which others are trying to prove him wrong”.

This is an excellent definition of conventional wisdom.  The current conventional wisdom holds that the race for the nomination for President in both parties will be over by February 5^th at the latest.  Don’t bet on it.

With an alternative to Clinton sure to emerge after New Hampshire and no clear-cut favorite on the Republican side, the battle could rage well into the summer for both parties.

To me, the races historically look like Goldwater’s long march of 1964 or Mondale’s struggles in 1984.

But then, what do I know?  Everyone tells me I am wrong.

I love Boston Legal, the ABC show about a law firm.
Why, last night in the season opener they had the senior partner arrested for solicitation of prostitution, another lawyer being propositioned by a judge to help her make a baby, the same lawyer having sex, twice, in an elevator with female opposing counsel and the firm threatening to fire their transvestite junior partner.
All this was in the first 45 minutes and it only got better.  Then the show broke for commercials.  The first was a teaser for their new show, Dirty Sexy Money (I can’t wait) and then a commercial urging me to support Mitt Romney for President.
Mitt Romney the family values man, who never fails to mention his long standing marriage and his sons, all above average, is supporting Boston Legal.
I don’t shop at Wal-Mart and I refuse to buy Nike products.  I speak out against the way they treat their employees and use child labor to manufacture their products.  The least I can do is support in my personal life what I preach in my public life.
Mitt Romney’s support of Boston Legal tells us two things about the man.  Not his hypocrisy but the fact that he is a big spender.  He should not be wasting money on sex shows because everyone knows that Republicans don’t watch them and the few who do don’t understand them.
Secondly, I resent seeing his ads on a Democratic program.