Who Do Veterans Like?

Rather remarkably Rudy Giuliani has a favorable rating of 64% among veterans compared to Mc Cain's 57%; Obama's 44%; Edwards 43%; Thompson's 40% and Hillary's 37%. The toughness stance is working with that group at least.

A Warning from Michael Dukakis

Former Governor Michael Dukakis, the Democratic candidate for president in 1988, warns his party that it could lose in 2008. Indeed if a Republican can carry traditional areas and do well in Pennsylvania, Ohio and maybe New York or New Jersey, it could become a true forecast -- or to put it differently: What candidate can carry more big states beyond what Gore or Kerry did?

Weekend Musings

To a voter in New Hampshire who asked Rudy if our difficulties with the Moslem world are due to their past historical problems, he sneered back --You have a liberal arts education....

Tommy Thompson has dropped out as has James Gilmore of Virginia, who was never in it. Thompson probably knew more about medical coverage, but he sure did not seem very concerned when he was Secretary of HHS. He never seemed to focus on the issues, and when he got a question wrong, he blamed his hearing.

The Village Voice claims that Rudy had the emergency nerve center in New York City put close to City Hall so he could use it as a love nest for his women. That center thus ended up in the Twin Towers. If this charge from the counter culture newspaper went forward, it could be very serious for his campaign.

A Hillary-Rudy fight would put New Jersey in place and maybe result in some real campaigning by them, rather than using the state as a money cow.

Dems Before the AFL-CIO

Apparently nobody in America watched the Democrat candidates as they groveled before the AFL-CIO. Less than a million people tuned in. The most poignant moment was when an ill man whose wife is also ill told how he lost his health insurance when his company moved out of town. It summarized in a nutshell, the most important domestic issue in this campaign.

The GOP in Iowa

As for the GOP, its candidates in Iowa discussed their personal sins on television. Rudy wisely bowed out of the discussion. Such stupidity is contagious. The worst is Tommy Tancredo, who thinks that the U.S. should bomb Mecca and Medina -- Islamic sacred cities. That is like bombing the Vatican becasue of the IRA. There ought to be a minimum IQ level to run for president.

Rutgers-Eagleton Poll

Today's Rutgers-Eagleton Poll shows that the two New Yorkers continue to do well here, but most of the nation’s attention is focused outside of New Jersey -- on other states that have straw polls and on the various televised debates that are taking place.”