WHICH POPULARITY CONTEST?

With a Pew Research Center world-wide poll on the matter of "confidence in the US candidate" neglecting to include the Iraqis, Bret Stephens in the WSJ reports on his recent discussion with key Iraqi leaders regarding that very subject.

...."A sense of incredulity hangs over the way Iraqis see the U.S. political debate taking shape.

...The Iraqis are even more incredulous about Mr. Obama's willingness to negotiate with Iran, which they see as a predatory regime. "Do you Americans forget what the Iranians did to your embassy?" asks the governor. "Don't you know that Ahmadinejad was one of [the hostage takers]?"

I have long since opined that it is ludicrous for the US to kowtow to 'popular' opinion among other nations and even worse deadly to base internal national policy on external opinion.

And Obama knows he can't just say "ok, pack it up - I want you home by curfew time." What will happen (if Obama wins and tries to carry out his pledge to leave the Iraqi front, Heaven forbid) is that the issue will be mucked around and around in Congress for at least as long as the war has already gone on. If you think the last seven years caused national and global anxiety, imagine what such dithering and nonsense will do! Will the Jihadist cells here in America feel they've finally got the signal to act? Does anyone believe they won't attack (without Bush's oppressive thumb upon them)? Not me.

There is very nearly nothing that Americans can't provide or do for themselves if we have the will, including keeping in place un-pretty but necessary policies that protect us from enemies within as well as without. Global economy and global this and global nice-nice is okay, so long as it doesn't threaten damage to the US. Will someone name a single nation other than the USA that doesn't put itself first? And we shouldn't put our own national health first because.....?

You see - I, too, view the modern world as a family. The US is the single parent, hardworking, God-fearing and hard-put to raise the children right. Often, tough-love is needed. Some members of the family are old and set in their crotchety ways or even senile. They try to do the lastest dance moves but can't manage it because they keep breaking their hips and can barely see or hear. There are puling babies, whining children who need to be schooled, infuriating and sometimes dangerous teenage delinquents and the ever present nagging aunts and uncles who keep telling you how to raise your children (though their children turned out to be disasters). Some are flying the nest and doing a good job of policing themselves. But the parent is the hub around which the family circles and from which it takes its cues. Arrogant? I don't think so. Try reality.

Global popularity is way, way down the list of neccesary virtues for which America should strive. Implacable global power is first.

BE A VOTER, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD

Do YOU vote? Do you know who represents you?

I don't mean just in big races like presidential primaries, the presidency, senate and representatives seats or gubernatorial candidacies. I'm talking about town councils, school boards, state legislatures etc.. In effect, all elections.

Even a national POTUS election for the leader of practically the whole frickin' world hardly bestirs eligible voters to visit the polling booths.

It might have taken decades - nay, centuries - but we are now living with the results of our laissez faire attitude toward political involvement. In failing to corral the uber-Left over the years we have paralyzed our Congress because instead of taking care of business, moderates or conservatives are forced to spend all their time swatting away extreme agendas.

I realize that our branches of government were specifically set up to move slowly so as not to enable sweeping thoughtless changes, but this is now just ridiculous. Worthy of a Southpark parody, even.

So - back to watching our government with a squinty, cynical eye. Not only do many of us throw up our hands in disgust at the candidates presented to us, we also despair of making a difference with our one little, bitty vote. We think we aren't knowledgeable enough on the issues of the day. We trust our government or we trust someone else to vote in the best person.

Here's my advice. If the best you can do is to just vote along party lines, then do it. If you vote for someone because they look nice, you think they have experience, or you love/hate the way they talk, or France wants you to, then do it. And you can't go far wrong by voting on instinct. At least you're voting.

Just transforming America into a nation of voters rather than observers will make all elected officials and candidates sit up straight in their seats and recall that they work for us.

KEEPING IT AT 10 & 2

McCain thinks one of his greatest strengths is 'reaching across the aisle'. It would be, if the 'aisle' remained in the same place instead of being moved farther and farther to the Left.

Life 'is a circle', right? So think of politics on a circle. With Libertarian at top center and Communism at bottom center, start at top center and trace the circle down the right or left half according to whether you lean to the Right or Left.

You'll find that no matter where you start, or which direction you go, you end up at Communism - passing various hideous stages of Loony Liberalism, Hard Right Conservatism, Theocracy, Socialism or Fascism and other icky types of government along the way.

Liberals have moved a fair good way down their half of the circle and are doing a good job of forcing people over the top and down past the "10" mark just to be able to speak to them. Can't seem to place Conservatives anywhere along the right half, btw.

It's in our best interest, like we were told in Drivers' Ed, to keep it at 10 & 2 on the wheel.