Are All The Wheels Coming Off?

Scooter Libby…..Walter Reed…..Iraq…..Gas and Oil Prices…. Bank Failures….and now the fired U.S. Attorneys…. What is happening in the Bush administration? With the 2008 Presidential race heating up, it seems that the current President has lost all control and is having every issue come back to haunt him. The Liberals and Democrats are basking in the glow of the fire that is/was the Bush administration as it seems to crash and burn. The Republicans are wondering if President Bush can recover….or if he will take them all down with him.
After hearing about the ineptitude of the commanding Generals at Walter Reed Army Hospital and the removal (either voluntary or involuntary) of several Generals for the last couple weeks, a new scandal has arisen. Now we hear about the Attorney Generals office dismissing 8 U.S. Attorneys a couple years ago. The Democrats are concerned with whether these dismissals were because the prosecutors were unwilling to pursue or not pursue cases based on political ties. The fact that these attorneys are employed at the will and pleasure of the president should make that a non issue. But partisan politics means that they are going to be investigating. Even though it appears that there was no illegal act, they figure that it will create a negative public impact, and so they will try to keep it in the public view as long as possible. It is unfortunate that this kind of scandal does nothing but bring out the worst in everyone who wants to get in front of a camera or microphone.
While the Democrats are rushing in to roast marshmallows over the burning carcass of the Bush administration, the Republicans are doing nothing to improve their image. They are either jumping ship, or they are arrogantly acting as if just because legally they are allowed to do something, they are morally right to do it. They need to get off their high horses and see that they are really in the muck with the pigs. Legally they may be right, but morally, things should have been handled in a much different fashion. With the Presidential election still 20 plus months away, The President is not making it easy for his Republican colleagues. If he doesn’t do something to turn it around soon, the Democrats will have to work hard to lose. Somehow, that doesn’t seem to be too far from the realm of reality though.

And They're Off!!!

The presidential race looks to be a long drawn out contest and there is no shortage of contestants. Let me introduce the current list of contenders. First, the Democrats:

Mike Gravel: 75 years old (May 30, 1930), Former US. Senator from 1969-1981
Currently a lecturer, Announced his candidacy April 14, 2006.
The first to announce.

Dennis Kucinich: 60 years old (October 8, 1946), Current Representative from Ohio
Announced his candidacy December 29, 2006

John Edwards: 53 years old (June 10, 1953), Trial Lawyer from South Carolina
Announced his candidacy January 3, 2007

Chris Dodd: 62 years old (May 27, 1944), Senator from Connecticut
Announced his candidacy January 11, 2007

Hillary Clinton: 59 years old (October 26, 1947) Senator from New York
Announced her candidacy January 22, 2007

Bill Richardson: 59 years old (November 15, 1947) Governor of New Mexico
Announced his candidacy January 22, 2007

Joe Biden: 64 years old (November 20, 1942) Senator from Delaware
Announced his candidacy January 31, 2007

Barack Obama: 45 years old (August 4, 1961) Senator from Illinois
Announced his candidacy February 12, 2007

Al Gore is still being talked about, especially coming off the success of his movie and the buzz around the Oscars, but he has yet to announce his intentions.

Now for the Republicans:

John McCain: 70 years old (August 29, 1936) Senator from Arizona
Announced his candidacy November 16, 2006

Mitt Romney: 60 years old (March 12, 1947) Former Governor of Massachusettes
Announced his candidacy January 3, 2007

Ron Paul: 71 years old (August 20, 1935) Representative from Texas
Announced his candidacy January 7, 2007

Jim Gilmore: 57 years old (October 6, 1949) Former Governor of Virginia
Announced his candidacy January 9, 2007

Tommy Thompson: 65 years old (November 19, 1941) Former Governor of Wisconsin
Announced his candidacy January 11, 2007

Sam Brownback: 50 years old (September 12, 1956) Senator from Kansas
Announced his candidacy January 22, 2007

Tom Tancredo: 61 years old (December 20, 1945) Representative from Colorado
Announced his candidacy January 22, 2007

Duncan Hunter: 58 years old (May 31, 1948) Representative from California
Announced his candidacy January 25, 2007

Mike Huckabee: 51 years old (August 24, 1955) Former Governor of Arkansas
Announced his candidacy January 29, 2007

Rudy Giuliani: 62 years old (May 28, 1944) former Mayor of New York
Announced his candidacy February 5, 2007

Others being talked about are Newt Gingrich, Chuck Hagel and George Pataki, so the race is full of possibilities. Over the next few months, I will be giving more in depth information on each of the candidates to help keep everyone informed on the issues.