Every President since Richard Nixon has talked about lowering our reliance on foreign oil and every President since Richard Nixon has done nothing about it.  When gas was at $4 a gallon there was a strong, very clear and present danger to us staying where we were.  Now that gas has gone down to less then $2 and falling, my fear is that we will do nothing and four or eight years from now the previous trend will continue.

There is a definition of insanity that says that if you keep doing the same thing in the same way and expect a different outcome, then you are insane.  When it comes to energy policy, we in the United States are insane. We continue to build cities that do not make sense. We continue to use the same fuel technology for our automobiles when there are viable alternatives. And we continue to find ways to blame the oil industry while doing nothing about our demand for their product.

Do not be fooled, the current cheap gas prices we enjoy are the result of a world wide economic slow down.  When the economy picks up in a year or two from now, maybe longer, we will be right where we were blaming Exxon and believing any conspiracy that sounds good.

The time to act is now, we need to move toward clean, renewable energy, regardless if the planet is in peril because of human activity.  While I do not agree with the rationale of the global warming crowd, I do agree with their call of arms because while global warming may be in doubt, pollution and energy needs are not.

Anyway, I came in wearing a suit and as I suspected it got some attention.  I was asked where I was interviewing and with what group.  I let them know the sad news that I was not interviewing but rather that the prior night I had lost a dear friend.  Of course, the loss of friend is never an easy thing to deal with, no one is quite sure what to say and it is a sad moment to reflect on the mortality we all face.

I took this opportunity to share with my co-workers about my friend and his passing on that Tuesday night, November 4th, 2008.  You see, my friend had not been doing well for a long time.  He had been in this place before and had battle through many an adversity.  While all the doctors were telling him he only had days or even hours to live my friend was never willing to quit.  Like a brave soldier he would fight on.

I told those co-workers that we could learn a lot from watching my friend over the last few weeks.  When life gives you lemons you can give them right back and say, “Hey, I did not ask for lemons!  Give me the apples like I asked you stupid lemon giver!”  My friend showed me that you should never give up, no matter what the doctors or experts might say.  Keep striving, keep fighting, no matter how hard the road may be.  This is what my friend taught us.

Even still, we were holding on to hope, hope that maybe, just maybe he could pull of another miracle like he had done before.  However, it was not meant to be.  You think that you are ready to hear such awful news; you know it is coming and you have prepared for it in your mind.  Yet, nothing ever prepares you.  This was how it was with news of my friends passing.

You see, on Tuesday night is when all the experts and doomsayers were proven right.  He was slipping away.  At 8:30 PM his Pennsylvania and Ohio started to fail him.  Then at around 9:30 PM we heard that Indiana and Florida were not far behind.  Then everything just started crashing all at once, his Colorado, New Mexico and California.  Finally at 11:00 PM, he was gone.  Rest in peace GOP, I trust that I will see you again.

Now that the election has passed and the people have spoken it is time to support our new President.  While I know that in the future I will have disagreements with the direction of the Democratic controlled Congress and the Democratic controlled White House, when those issues come up then I will explain why I am against those policies and what I think should be different.  Until then, I am going to give the Obama team the benefit of the doubt and will wait and see what happens.

One point that makes me very proud to be a Republican is to see the way both John McCain and George Bush are working with the new President, compare that to 2000 with the approach of Bill Clinton and Al Gore.  The Clinton White House was like a frat house with staff pulling out the W’s on key boards and Bill Clinton issued some questionable pardons (including Bill Ayers) and Al Gore being a sore loser.  While the country may have rejected the message of the GOP I am glad to see that the men at the top choose to act with class and dignity, something that was missing eight years ago when the rolls were reversed.

Chances are I am going to vote for the Republicans in 2010 and for the Republican nominee in 2012.  However, my hope for President Elect Obama is that he will govern from the center as he has said, that he will not over reach and try to force a Liberal agenda like Clinton did in 1993 and will not be as divisive as the current President has been.  If he can bring Republicans into his administration and can do all that he promised then I will consider splitting my vote in 2012.

On Tuesday Nov 4th the voters had a choice and because of the freedom that we have in this country they made that choice and what a choice it was.  The city of Roanoke had two bills on the ballot, one to allow alcohol to be sold in stores which barely lost, 789 against, 788 for. The other bill would allow alcoholic drinks to be sold in a restaurants and this easily passed 1094 to 497.  Every vote was critical and…..

Wait! Was this not the historic election YOU were thinking of?  Oh, you were thinking about the Presidential election.  Well, in that case I can write about that too.  The election of Obama is also a historic election and worthy being on the great blog of truth.  The level of excitement for Obama is something that I have not seen in my life time.

Obama will have a tough task for the next four to eight years, war in Iraq and Afghanistan, Islamic terrorist that will still hate America regardless of who is President, and of course a slowing global economy and financial crises.  Obama will have to deal with extremist in his own party and will have to find ways to work with Republicans too.

The thing that worries me the most is the amount of expectations that people have of Obama.  Change does not come quickly and it is much easier to talk change then to actually do change.  We will have a new President soon and I congratulate him on his victory and hope that he is right when he says “Yes we can”.

No matter what your views are, it is possible that you or someone you know is simply too crazy to debate.  Now, I do not expect that everyone should be an expert on all things that they believe; there are some things that I know to be true that I can not prove.  I also feel like people can become overwhelmed with facts and statistics that it blinds them to the obvious.  As Winston Churchill famously said, there are three kinds of lies:  lies, damn lies and statistics.

What I want to look at is how you can know if the person that you are talking with or perhaps even you are too crazy to debate.  These rules will help you steer clear of unproductive debate and help you focus your own arguments.

Crazy Fact One:  Those that oppose your view are not just wrong, they are evil

When the “E” word makes its way into the discussion, I know that this is about to go no where fast.  I did not vote for Obama not because I think he is evil, I did not vote for him because historically big government has not been able to solve the kinds of problems that we face.  I do not believe that Obama or anyone in the Democrat party wants evil for America, they are trying to solve a problem to the best of their ability.

This is also true for Republicans, when people say that they only care about the wealthy that is an over exaggeration.  As Republicans we believe that if you try to stifle the job creating sector of our economy to “spread the wealth around” that it winds up hurting everyone.  Only time will tell which group is right, but I can confidentially say that neither group wants to bring harm to the American population.

Crazy Fact Two:  Only those that follow your view know “the truth”

More good people will fall into this category then the first, you can have a little bit of crazy fact two and not be crazy.  But, too much of crazy fact two and you will be branded, too crazy to debate.  This tends to come up most with people who believe in vast conspiracies.  One of the tell tale signs that you have fallen victim to this world view is if you believe that everyone is out to get you.  Generally speaking, the simplest answer is usually the correct one.  If you are putting together groups of people who would naturally hate each other somehow working behind close doors then it possible that you are affected by crazy fact two.

Another way that you can know that you are victim of crazy fact two is if it seems like everyone one personally meet seems to agree with you.  This is particularly difficult because it may reinforce the validity of your claims, however, the reason that they are agreeing with you is because they have to come to the conclusion that you are too crazy to debate and that is easier to say yes and then walk away.

Crazy Fact Three:  Heavy reliance on “secret facts”

Michael Moore is a prime example of this, if George Bush was the type of tyrant that Moore describes then he would dead.  Let me ask you a question, where were the Michael Moore’s when Hitler or Stalin where running their government?  I highly doubt that Michael Moore has the moral courage it takes to really stand up to tyranny, if he came face to face with that kind of evil he would probably wobble to the nearest donut shop and eat himself into a diabetic coma.

Chances are, if the information was really secret you would not know it unless you have a job at the CIA, FBI, or NSA.   If it is on the “Internet” and you have not checked it out on snopes.com then do not quote it or forward it until you do.  Nothing screams out “Too Crazy to Debate” like quoting secret facts that are wrong.

Now, if you see that a person or you yourself have fallen victim to any one of these three traits or maybe all three of them, then it is quite possible that you are too crazy to debate.

In the world there is some trouble
A young Obama could make it double
Don’t worry, vote Johnny, vote Johnny now

There might be nukes in Iran
And don’t forget the Taliban
So don’t worry, vote Johnny

Ooo-oo-hoo-hoo-oo hoo-hoo-oo-oo-ooo Don’t worry
Woo-oo-woo-oo-woo-oo-ooo Vote Johnny
Woo-oo-woo-oo-ooo Don’t worry, vote Johnny

Ooo-oo-hoo-hoo-oo hoo-hoo-oo-oo-ooo Don’t worry
Woo-oo-woo-oo-woo-oo-ooo Vote Johnny
Woo-oo-woo-oo-ooo Don’t worry, vote Johnny

I believe in “yes we can”
And Johnny has got a proven plan
But don’t worry, vote Johnny

I love the speeches I love the fun
Yet Obama is just too young
So don’t worry, vote Johnny, vote Johnny now

Ooo-oo-hoo-hoo-oo hoo-hoo-oo-oo-ooo Don’t worry
Woo-oo-woo-oo-woo-oo-ooo Vote Johnny
Woo-oo-woo-oo-ooo Don’t worry, vote Johnny

Ooo-oo-hoo-hoo-oo hoo-hoo-oo-oo-ooo Don’t worry
Woo-oo-woo-oo-woo-oo-ooo Vote Johnny
Woo-oo-woo-oo-ooo Don’t worry, vote Johnny

Look at me, I am voting for Johnny
Here, I give you my phone number
When you want lots of promises
Call me, I promise you long time

Don’t worry, vote Johnny
Don’t worry
Vote Johnny

VOTE JOHNNY, VOTE JOHNNY NOW!!!

Ooo-oo-hoo-hoo-oo hoo-hoo-oo-oo-ooo
Woo-oo-woo-oo-woo-oo-ooo
Woo-oo-woo-oo-ooo

One of my main points is the way men and women deal with pain.  Now, I can not make the grand and broad statements that I am about to make and be right all the time.  While you will be able to find examples that will contradict what I am about to say, these theories are true and have been rigorously tested for years by the keen eye and instincts of one Michael Callaway.  With a name like Michael Callaway it has to be good.

If I am hungry, I eat.  If I must be on my feet for a period of time, the shoes I buy will be in support of my feet and will be both protective and comfortable with just a hint of style.  If my head hurts all outside activity will stop immediately until I have taken a pain reliever (first one to sponsor my blog shall be named as the pain reliever of choice for my tough head aches) and I have given it time to help.  Needless to say if I am in any pain or discomfort what so ever, regardless of how small and trifle it may be, I am taking care of me first and then doing what needs to be done second.

I follow the mantra that they tell you when you are on an airplane if the oxygen masks drop in front of you.  First securely fasten your mask, then, and only then fasten the mask for those in need.  While it may seem cruel from me to be fixing my mask while a child is turning blue, if I pass out, what good will I be to the child?

Women, as a statistical group, do not follow this same approach to pain and their own well being.  Exhibit A is the shoes that you buy; these torture devises would make any hardened criminal or terrorist tell everything that they know just to stop the pain in their feet.  Your people buy these, voluntarily I might add, and suffer for it.  All in the name of fashion.  My wife will wear a pair all day, come home and complain how much her feet hurt, and then six weeks later, wear the same shoes because they match her outfit.  Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, um, fool me twice, well, let’s just say that you are not going to fool me two times.

Exhibit B is the use of pain saving medication.  I have known women to have gotten up, put the pain saving medication in their hands, get busy with some task, put the pain saving medication in their pocket and leave it there all day.  Did the pain magically go away?  No, it was there the whole time.  In their pocket was the modern miracle that with in thirty minutes could have delivered fast, effective pain relief (again, this spot is open for sponsorship) right to where it hurts, this miracle was just sitting in a pocket gathering lent.

Exhibit C, the Super rhymes with Toll (can not say the actual words without fear of getting beat up by the No Fun League) of woman pain, child birth.  This is what separates the women from the boys (a derogative word when it comes to dealing with pain among the women folk, another is burly man, such as “don’t be such a burly man”).  This is the ultimate endurance of woman pain.  You will sit around and brag about how many hours it lasted, all the difficulties and the shear exhaustion and then say, “And I would do all over again”.  The ultimate woman can give birth with nothing but a stick to bite down on and some hot water when the baby comes out.

This is all too much for the small male brain to take in.  It makes no sense, why would someone buy protective footwear that makes your feet hurt?  Why would someone have fast pain relief at their finger tips and not use it?  Why in the world would you want a physical condition that ends up with you pushing a watermelon through a grape size whole?  Why, why, why?  It does not make sense.

Or does it?  I have finally come up with a theory that explains why women do what they do.  Is it controversial?  Yes.  Do women everywhere deny it?  Yes.  Since springing my theory out to the masses has my very life been threatened?  Actually no, it has not, however the theory explains everything.  Beyond the world that we see there is an underling world, the world of women, where things are not always what they appear and things that appear are not always what they seem.

In this bizarre world there is a game that women all over are playing everyday racking up points in various ways.  It is called the Pain Game, the mission of the Pain Game is to see just how much pain can you endure at any given period of time before you tap out and find relief.  The Pain Game can show up by being so busy at work or taking care of the kids that you have not eaten all day and then are ready to collapse.

The Pain Game reveals its ugly head when women wear the very shoes that look great on the outside but kill the feet on the inside.  Did you go all day with the shoes on?  Bonus points for you sister of pain!  Going through a head ache, chronic hives, or a tooth ache?  How many hours did you go without taken the sponsored medicine?  Did you avoid taken it all together?  Even more points.

I do not know how you keep score or where you share the data with other competitors, it is probably done in front of my very eyes and I have not grasped it.  Much like a gang sign which means nothing to the outsider but has deep meaning for those on the inside.  Hear are Michael’s words to live by, stop the Pain Game.  It hurts you, it hurts us.

You see, the average man knows nothing about this deadly game of pain that you ladies are in.  Let us say that the pain hits you at 10 AM, you have been going about your day racking up huge pain points in utter misery.  5:30 PM rolls around and here comes a man, the man is about to do something stupid as most men are prone to do.  Not only are you tired from all day of what ever it was that you needed to do, not only is the dumb man being a dumb man, but he has just caught you on the back nine of the biggest pain day of your life and he is going to get it.

Now, if you had not been playing the Pain Game all he would be judged for is his stupidity, something which we have already factored into the cost of being dumb.  You maybe saying, “Why don’t you just stop men from being dumb?”  I can’t do that, I am not that powerful!  You on the other hand are, stop the Pain Game and then all will be right in the world.

I know at some point my life as a dual income no kids life will come to an end.  I do not know when and I am not sure how, but I know it will.  Much like young Princes Leia when she was standing on the Death Star looking out on to her home planet of Alderan, at some point the governor is going to give the order, the guns are going to power up and the planet will be blown to smithereens.  That is what having children is like, watching your home planet get blown to smithereens.

I feel like my friends that have children are like Eliza Doolittle from “My Fair Lady” and that they are singing “Just you wait, Henry Higgins, just you wait!”  Now I do not have tangible proof that this is the case, however, this weekend we went on a mini-vacation with friends who have a child and I could have sworn I heard her singing this song.

“Just you wait, Mr. Callaway, just you wait!
You’ll be sorry, but your tears’ll be too late!
Children move slow and cost lots of money;
Will anyone help you?  Don’t be funny!
Just you wait, Mr. Callaway, just you wait!”

“Just you wait, Mr. Callaway, just you wait!
With a child you suffer a prisoner’s fate!
They will be screaming in the malls;
They will be running down the halls!
Just you wait, Mr. Callaway, just you wait!”

What scares me the most is everyone always says that their child is one of the best.  Really, one of the best?  So, I could have worse?  On no!  If I knew someone who was honest and they said, “Never in my life have I met a more hellion child then mine”, then I might feel better.

You see, now I would have a worse case scenario that I could begin to weigh the cost against.  Here is potentially the worst child in the world, is it worth it to me to have that?  After weighing the probabilities of having this, this Rosemary’s baby, then I can come to a conclusion that balances the risk/reward quotient.  As it stands now I do not know what I am getting into because all parents suffer from Stockholm’s Syndrome.  They have identified with their captors and think that they are treated better then most other hostage victims.  Very tricky these little captors they are.

Again, do not get me wrong, I did not mean to treat you wrong.  Children are a vital part of our economy and eco-system.  If it was not for children then we would not have adults and adults are what make the world go round.  However, it would really help if we could have the same choice that sharks have.  If they must, they can eat their young, no questions asked.  I am sure children would be better behaved if they knew that was a possibility.

In the end, like the brave Texans defending the Alamo I am in a losing battle.  The forces of children are all around me with no possibility of escape.  I also know that when I do become a dad I will become one of those dads that drive me crazy.  I will be asking the next young couple that I meet the burning question that just simply must be asked.  The question that I am dying to hear the answer to, the one that inquiring minds want to know.  “So, when are you having kids?”

I will then follow it up with how it is the best thing to ever happen to me and that I would not have it any other way.  I will have become institutionalized just like in the “Shawshank Redemption”, at first you hate the walls, then you grow accustomed to them, after awhile, you can’t live without them.  That is institutionalized.

Michael “The Relationship Manager” wants to see the war in Iraq come to an end but realizes that if we leave in an irresponsible way it would cause chaos and make the situation worse.  Michael “The Relationship Manager” wants to see a positive Presidential campaign but understands that in politics you have to get a little nasty.  He does not like it, but realizes this is just the way it is.

Michael “The Relationship Manager” sees the current financial situation like going out to a nice restaurant with a large group.  Have you ever gone out with a large group to a nice restaurant but you want to save money?  However, once you get there someone in the group orders appetizers, another orders a bottle of wine and a third orders the most expensive item on the menu.  When the bill comes everyone decides that they will just split the bill up equally.

Who is the person that gets the short end of the stick in this scenario? The person that ordered just a soup and a salad, that is who.  Michael “The Relationship Manager” wants to stand up for these people and make sure that they are taken care too, not just the prime rib eaters.

Michael “The Relationship Manager” has a tendency to speak in the third person a lot and I for one do not understand why he does that.  That is his thing, I do not understand it.  In the end, Michael “The Relationship Manager” feels like while this election is important, people need to care of themselves more and depend on their government less. If you are waiting around for the government to help educate your child or deciding what home to buy then Michael “The Relationship Manager” is disappointed in you and so am I.

For the last 10 days that is exactly what I have been doing.  No blogging, very little e-mail and no work.  Let me tell you, I feel so much better because of it.  This vacation was not anything big, we were only 90 miles from home and just swam and rode bikes up at Lake Texoma.  We were of course shocked to see how bad the market had done in that short period of time and how dramatically it appears the Presidential election may have changed but I digress.

Anyway, my point is this, take time away from the Crackberry, the Internet, the daily schedule, text messaging and Facebook and see how much better you will feel.  Of course, when you come back, all the work that you needed to do will be there waiting for you but it is worth it.

The first and probably the most important one is our current tax code. Our tax system has been written in a way that makes it confusing and I believe that it is done deliberately.  No one likes to pay taxes and we all wish that they were lower, however, there are some government programs that are essential and without tax revenue it would be impossible to fund those programs.

Generally speaking there are two types of taxes that are discussed, a progressive tax or a regressive tax.  A progressive tax is designed to tax you more as your income goes up.  The value of a progressive tax is that it dramatically lowers the amount of actual taxes paid by lower income workers; the draw back is there are all kinds of rules that make it more complicated.

A regressive tax such as a flat tax or national sales tax is much easier to understand and would be fair. The draw back on a flat tax is while it is fair in a true sense of the word, it hurts lower income workers more then it does anyone else.  Someone who makes one thousand dollars a month paying one hundred dollars a month is the same as someone who makes ten thousand a month paying one thousand.  However, to the person making just one thousand a month most of that money goes to essentials so in reality it is not as fair as it would seem.

Here is the dilemma, on one hand you have a tax system that is overly complex, in the other hand one that is simple and easy.  But, in one hand you have a tax system that helps lower income Americans while the second one is more of a burden.  If only there was a way to get the best of both.  In my opinion there is and this is how I would do it.

First, get rid of all deductions and I mean all.  Give money to a church, great social institution, no deduction.  Pay interest on a home, good to own a home long term (despite what is going on right now), no deduction.  Invest in some crazy off shore company that does who knows what, I would stay away from it but who am I to judge, still no deduction.  Everyone loves their deductions and many people do a lot of dumb things to get one, in the end, you are always better off not spending the money on what ever it is and paying more taxes if your aim is more money in your pocket.  If you give money, buy a home, or invest in something, taxes should be the last reason you do it.

Second, redefine income, it is not fair that some people pay one set of tax based on how income is earned and another group pays another (either higher or lower) based on how the same amount of money is received.  Everything should be income and follow the same rules, be it working for yourself, for a large company or selling an asset.

Finally go to a flat tax but with a twist.  The first fifteen thousand that you earn (or what ever the final number would be) would be tax free.  This would be true if you are Bill Gates or if you are a single mother.  After that, every dollar you earn is taxed at the same percent.  This would be the best of both worlds, you would have a tax system that is easy to follow and understand but at the same time does not harm lower income Americans.  It would be fair for everyone and would make it easy to know if a politician really is lowering taxes or is using smoke and mirrors.

I remember when Olbermann left Sports Center. While I still enjoyed the legacy he left behind, the show was not the same.  Life simply was not as good without Keith Olbermann at ESPN. You might be wondering, how did Mr. Olbermann change from the greatest person in the world to someone that Mike wants to slap?  MSNBC... that is how.

I never have liked overtly political commentators even when I agree with them.  I especially cannot stand overtly political commentators when I disagree with them and they are simply wrong.  I sure hope Keith Olbermann does not think of himself as a non-biased news reporter, because fair and balanced he is not.  If I were Barack Obama I would get a restraining order on the guy, I worry that he may be his number one fan like in the movie “Misery”.

I could list out all the stupid things that the man has said, however I am afraid that the Internet would crash if I did that.  If he were Lloyd Christmas, the limo driver from the movie “Dumb and Dumber” then his approach would be fine.   He would be a harmless buffoon who could say anything he wants and only those people stuck in his limo would have to hear it.  As it is, all of America has too.

If Olbermann is the President of Dumb then his Vice President would have to be Chris Matthews.  Seeing those two cover politics has made me an unbeliever in MSNBC, this is the same network that brought me the great Tom Brokaw and Tim Russert.  Keith Olbermann has tainted the legacy of NBC news and as well as his days doing Sport Center back in the 1990’s.  Keith Olbermann is now a yellow journalist of the worst type.

One Sunday during that summer we went to the Union Church where my grandparents go and the sermon was about Jesus walking on the water and how Peter was able to do the same.  Now, maybe the pastor was saying something different then what I heard, perhaps he was talking about walking on the waters of life or something like that.  Anyway, what I heard was that if you had enough faith then you would be able to do the same.

Later that afternoon while swimming in the back yard I really started to think about those words, about having faith and about walking on the water.  I thought to myself, I do believe, in fact I not only believe, I know that it is possible.  I got out of the pool and went to put my new faith to the test.

As I was about to step on to the water a thought hit me, I am in a swimming suit and I am already wet.  That is not faith.  If I step on to this water and nothing happens it is just the same as if I jumped into a pool like a kid would normally do.  No, no, no, if I really had faith I would go back into the house, dry up, put my clothes back on and then step out on to the pool.

So that is what I did, I went back in, dried myself off, combed my hair, put on my best pants and favorite shirt and tied my shoes.  Now if I stepped on the water I was risking something, this was faith in action.  I was ready to meet my destiny and with that I went back to the pool.

I was alone at the time so you will just have to trust that the words that I am about to say are true.  While it might be hard to believe the miracle of the Guatemalan pool I swear to you that the events that I shall describe next are an accurate account of what really happened.

I stood there all dressed in my Sunday best amazed at how much faith a lad such as myself could have.  While there were better people in the world no doubt then me, I was sure that none of them had tried to do what I was about to do.  I stood there with the confidence of a king surrounded by his best troops and boldly stepped out on to the water.

When I stepped on to the water, I said WHEN I STEPPED ON TO THE WATER!!!  Something truly remarkable happened, I sank like rock.  And because I stepped out as if I were stepping on to dry land and not as if I were stepping on to a pool I did not go straight down but did a face flop right into the pool.

Now I had to explain myself, why was I all wet and wearing my best clothes and shoes?  Let me tell you, just in case you are wondering; there is no good way to explain why you came into the house wearing a swimming suit, went back out not wearing one and then came back in all sloppy wet.  I do not remember the exact excuse that I used but I do remember it was lame.

Needless to say I learned something about faith that day, while it is good to have the faith to be able to step out into the unknown, it is extremely dumb to have faith to be able to step out into the known and think that the unknown will some how magically happen.

As I looked at the choices I really did not see how any of them, even my beloved Huckabee would really help McCain.  Here is what I felt John needed to do to be elected President:

First, he had to have a pick that would excite the base of the Republican Party. While I may not agree with their lack of enthusiasm, it is a fact.  The Rush Limbaugh’s and other conservative talking heads were not excited about that pick, it was possible that they may not go out and vote.  Obama has his base excited, he needed a pick that gave experience, McCain has the experience, he needed a pick that give the excitement.

Second, John McCain needed a pick that would have some pull for the “Angry Hillary Voters”. There are a lot of strange reasons why people vote the way they do, for some women out there the only reason that they wanted Hillary is because she is a woman.  If McCain could reach into his magic bag and pull out a pick that brought in some of those voters that would be awesome.

Finally, he needed a pick that would add some visual appeal to the ticket. I am not talking eye candy like Paris Hilton or anything like that, but when you compare the GQ qualities of Barack Obama to the nitty gritty John McCain it really does not look so good on TV.  I hate to even say that this is important, but the 1960 Nixon/Kennedy debate showed us that looking good on TV matters.  The people that listened to the debate on the radio thought Nixon won (he did by the way and should have been President in 1960), those that watched it on TV thought Kennedy won.

As I looked at the cast of characters I did not see anyone that could do all three.  Huckabee would energize the base (maybe), would have little appeal to the “Angry Hillary Voters” and had some visual appeal in the sense that he is a natural campaigner.  Joe Lieberman would have angered the base, would have had a solid pull on the “Angry Hillary Voters” and would have had the visual appeal of a 65 year old philosophy professor at Yale (sorry Joe, love your support).

Finally Mitt Romney would have appealed to the base (why I do not know) and would have added to the visual appeal on TV.  Like Huckabee, I doubt he would have brought in the “Angry Hillary’s”.   While I wanted Johnny to go three for three, I felt like two out of three was not bad, hence the belief that it would be Romney.

One of the things that I have always appreciated about John McCain is that he is a maverick, when it looked like his campaign was dead in the summer of 07 he did what he has always done, town hall meetings and he won.  I would love to tell you that I always knew he would come through but that would be a lie.  Now when I think he is going to make a safe pick he goes bold and picks Sarah Palin.

While she may not have the national experience that some of the others would have had, I love the pick because she helps McCain with all three of the goals.  Her strong social conservative values had Rush Limbaugh singing her praises and back supporting the Grand Old Party.  For those people who really wanted a woman might now consider McCain and finally, as America’s hottest governor she will add visual appeal.

Also, the more the Democrats make the case that Palin is not as prepared as Biden to be VP, it highlights that Obama is not as prepared as McCain to be President. Yes, she is a heartbeat away from being the President, Obama would be the President.  Finally, with Palin as the VP choice it limits how affective Biden can be in the VP debate.  If he is too harsh it is going to look really bad, call it reverse sexism if you want, no one wants to see a man yelling at a woman.  If he is too soft it will be a wasted pick getting an attack dog as a VP when he could have gone with the inspirational Tim Cain.  Overall, it is a great pick, that is why McCain is the man!

The problem for me is I do not think it can happen.  I do not believe that there is a single government program that any President, Republican or Democrat is prepared to cut no matter how poorly it is doing.  I do not think that the President or their staff will go line by line through the budget and cut the pork spending because one Senator’s pork is another Senator’s essential program.  I do not believe that our tax code will be reformed because everyone and I mean everyone, enjoys their own deductions and are so beholden to them that even if the new system is better they will feel like they are being cheated.

It is not that I do not like "yes we can", I just don’t think it is possible.  If Obama does become President then I will be the first to tell you that I hope I am wrong.  In 1980 when the Great Ronald Reagan became President there were many people who thought that Reagan’s belief that we could beat communism was impossible.  In 1970’s the best anyone thought that we could do was contain communism but that it would always be around.

Reagan said no, we can win, freedom can win.  Reagan said yes we can and he was right.  While we can debate the economic views of Reagan and we can debate environmental policies, we can not debate who was right about the future of the totalitarian regime of the USSR.  Reagan said yes we can when many people said it was impossible.

Now, if Obama is right then I want to see him do the town hall meetings with John McCain like he said he would.  If Obama is right then I wish he would have taken public money as he promised so that way there would be no question that he really is a different kind of politician.  Finally, if Obama is right, then I hope he wins the election this fall.