Rudy gains conservative support, KS GOP gears up for battle

This post is full of random news. First, 2 prominent conservatives have announced their support for Rudy Giuliani and taken jobs with his campaign. These include Jerry Kilgore, 2005 GOP nominee for Virginia governor, who will be heading up Giuliani's VA operations, and recent 2006 Iowa gubernatorial candidate Jim Nussle (see here). I'm sure Giuliani won't miss a beat in publicizing this news, as he knows he needs the support of the conservative primary voters in several key states (and snagging native Iowan Nussle's endorsement is a good start. Guiliani also reached out to conservatives this week by pledging to appoint strict constructionists in the mold of Roberts and Alito to the Supreme Court.

Back in KS, Kobach's 2nd in command in Topeka, Christian Morgan, has indicated the party's primary focus right now is fundraising. In March, they will start selecting persons to fill various committees (recruitment, GOTV, coalition building, etc.). This also comes with the firing of several members of the former staff and Ron Freeman's exit. I hope these efforts pay off with huge dividends in the form of increased donor pledges and a solid financial structure heading into the '08 elections.

Next tues (2/27) is the big mayoral primary in KC, in which the top two vote getters will advance to the general. It looks like Al Brooks, Becky Nace, and Mark Funkhouser are in the top 3--and 2 of those 3 will advance to the general (my prediction).

Anyone see that new talk/news/entertainment show on Fox called "Red Eye"? It's annoying at times, and is so far from being intellectually stimulating that at times I'm embarrased to watch it. But you do get the news, it's fun, and it's interesting. For someone like me who has had to be endure John Stewart's daily liberal dose on the "Daily Show" for some comic relief mixed with politics, this is a somewhat refreshing alternative, and I'll admit it--I'm addicted. Check it out weeknights on Fox News at 1 am.

That's all for now. Next week, I'll be in DC (for the first time since turning 21!) attending CPAC, White House Briefing, Capitol Hill briefing, and having dinner with VP Dick Cheney and a select group of GOP donors. Long story, but short summary: I won a scholarship to attend the conference that came with some added perks.

Australian PM no Obama fan...

So in case you were as bombarded as I was by the intense "Obama-mania" coverage of Barak Obama's announcement speech (BTW--in case you didn't hear, Obama is the new "Abraham Lincoln"), Australian Prime Minister John Howard made comments to the tune of Al Qaeda terrorists would be praying for Obama and Democrats like him to win the 2008 Presidential election. Of course, certain media outlets overplayed this story, which wasn't that different from the many European leaders who made anti-Bush comments or came out in support of Kerry in '04. Yet, I think deep down, many people realize Howard is right, whether or not the Democrats are trying their best to do what they think is right, the perception is that the U.S. is weak, and Democratic actions to pull out of Iraq or close Guantanamo Bay serve only to embolden the terrorists. Regardless of what you think about the war (a lot of mistakes have been made, and I'm not sure as to whether we will succeed) the overall foreign policy of the Democratic Party is inconsistent with promoting our interests and those of our allies.

John Howard, however is in the midst of his own re-election campaign as he tries for a 5th term as Australia's PM. Locally, these comments will probably hurt him rather than help him, as his Labor Party opponent is currently leading in the polls.

Australia has been a steadfast ally of the U.S. in Iraq and Afghanistan, and its 2000 troops in Iraq is representative of its small population (20 million) and Obama should not belittle that contribution. Of course, Obama is the same person who earlier in the week called the death of our troops in Iraq "a waste." How comforting to their families.

This photo shows Obama conspiring with our very own Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill (OK, just kidding..."sharing information" with Claire).

Campaign '08 Update

Sam Brownback is the senator running for President from Kansas and Mitt Romney is the governor running for President from Missouri? Not quite, Romney's from Massachusetts, but you might not be able to tell from the endorsements he's been getting. Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt not only endorsed Romney, he worked the phones for him during a fundraising day several weeks ago. And recently, former MO Sen. Jim Talent announced he's joining the Romney campaign as an associate. I may be a Kansan, but I was born in Missouri, most of my friends and family are in Missouri, and these developments are very interesting to say the least, esp. since Sam Brownback hails from Missouri's western neighbor and he has yet to pick up any endorsements in the "show me state."

Hillary was in Des Moines last week, attempting to produce a few laughs by commenting on her experience with "evil men." Just this past saturday, Congressman Tom Tancredo (who can only win the nomination if Hell freezes over twice) was campaigning in western Iowa, Council Bluffs, at a VFW hall. His reception on this day with a high of 8 degrees was chilly (no pun intended) to say the least. Voters wanted to hear more about other issues and his other positions, and expressed some skepticism at his primary chances.

On another note, KS National Committeeman Steve Cloud was spotted at Kansas Days sporting a McCain lapel pin--apparently he's not supporting Kansas' native son either. Of course, Cloud was never expected to endorse Brownback in the first place, although I'm a little surprised he endorsed McCain over Giuliani. It will be Steve Cloud and the rest of the KS delegation that actually get to vote in the eventual nominee (with heavy consideration towards the KS primary results of course) so seeing an influential if not colorful Republican like Cloud publicly endorse a candidate this early on shows that there will be division even among Kansans--like the rest of the country--despite the fact one of our own is in the race.