The limitations of wordpress have left me frustrated over the past several weeks. So I’ve been developing a new blog, still using wordpress – but now with open source code.

Check out my new blog: http://mattmoran.freehostia.com.

Be sure to change all of your feeds and bookmarks.

Despite one of the lowest approval ratings of all time, President Bush might be more successful than the average American thinks.

Recent polls placing President Bush’s approval numbers near 30 percent miss an important distinction: The policies and positions the president has advocated since 2001 have led to significant results in recent days. In short, the presidency of George W. Bush is surging, rather than waning, with little more than one year remaining in his term.

I found this article quite interesting, considering the overall public disapproval of the President. Undoubtedly because of the late-blooming Iraq war. The truth is though, the economy is in good shape especially on the job front.; the recent scientific breakthrough on the stem-cell front has been a big victory for moralists and the pro-life crowd; and not to forget that the success in Iraq. Many argue that history will not look kindly upon Bush, but maybe there is time to change that.

Article

Senate Intelligence Chairman Jay Rockefeller is leading the hypocritical assault against CIA Director Michael Hayden, saying that many questions were left unanswered in regards to the destruction of tapes of CIA interrogations.

Well apparently, Rockefeller has a short memory, because he, along with current House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, were given a virtual tour of a CIA detention site in 2002. And apparently, they were not only approving of the techniques used, but they were encouraging tougher punishments. This from an article in the Washington Post.

The Democratic National Committee has decided to not target Republican Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee until AFTER he has received the party’s nomination for President. This according to Drudge Report.

**Exclusive**

Democrat party officials are avoiding any and all criticism of Republican presidential contender Mike Huckabee, insiders reveal.

The Democratic National Committee has told staffers to hold all fire, until he secures the party's nomination.

The directive has come down from the highest levels within the party, according to a top source.

Within the DNC, Huckabee is known as the "glass jaw -- and they're just waiting to break it."

Huckabee does not try to hide is rough record in the past – and would make for an easy target when it comes to the General Election.

The Republicans need a candidate who the Democrats can’t attack, one they can’t charge with any serious allegations. That candidate is Fred Thompson. Thompson has a consistent record of conservatism. If you want to bring up the “lobbying” thing, Thompson was just doing his job and has already made clear is beliefs on abortion – not including the National Right to Life Endorsement.

If conservatives want to win next November, they will stick to their values, their principles, their beliefs. And we’ll nominate a candidate that can stand up to the harsh mud slinging the liberals are sure to bring. Huckabee has a controversial past, and that is not only the reason why Democrats want him to win, but it is also the reason that the MSM wants him to win. If it is Huckabee and Clinton, we will see one of the dirtiest races in history – that is what the MSM wants. But as far as Democrats go, they know they’ll have plenty of dirt to throw and more than enough to combat whatever the Republicans can bring against Hillary.

An article out of the Washington Post this week reveals some shocking news about Democrats on Capitol Hill who toured a CIA interrogation facility.

In September 2002, four members of Congress met in secret for a first look at a unique CIA program designed to wring vital information from reticent terrorism suspects in U.S. custody. For more than an hour, the bipartisan group, which included current House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), was given a virtual tour of the CIA’s overseas detention sites and the harsh techniques interrogators had devised to try to make their prisoners talk.

Among the techniques described, said two officials present, was waterboarding, a practice that years later would be condemned as torture by Democrats and some Republicans on Capitol Hill. But on that day, no objections were raised. Instead, at least two lawmakers in the room asked the CIA to push harder, two U.S. officials said.

“The briefer was specifically asked if the methods were tough enough,” said a U.S. official who witnessed the exchange.

I demand an investigation!

Waterboarding is torture and these congressional leaders didn’t think it was “tough enough.” A special committee should investigate this matter, immediately.

Article

Fred Thompson is the only real conservative with any shot at the Republican nomination for President. Yet, the mainstream media continues to ignore him and bloggers are slow to support him.

Lots of people are talking about people talking about Fred, but very few are actually doing the talking about Fred.

What I do gather is usually along the lines of “I agree with Fred on just about every issue, but nobody real knows about him,” or something like “Fred would make a really great President, but nobody is talking about him.”

Well, – TALK ABOUT HIM.

Fred has a consistent conservative record and doesn’t have the liberal past that his counterparts do. The Republicans aren’t going to win if they nominate someone who is a little bit liberal, because on the other side there will be someone who is all the way liberal. You don’t get the swing votes by acting like the other guy. Republicans need to stick to their guns, and their principles.

This morning, I heard Gil Gross say something like “…now all the Republicans are saying talk about me, not the other guy; because it is working for Mike Huckabee.” Again, Thompson has been the model of consistency here and has been doing this from the very beginning. It didn’t take a surging poll rider to get Thompson to do the right thing – he has been doing it from the start.

Fred is a man of conviction and principles. He believes that where one stands, shouldn’t depend on where one is standing. He thinks that people should be allowed to make laws that he disagrees with (i.e. abortion, same-sex marriage) if they have the votes to do so. Thompson has real plans on the issues that are important to Americans – like social security, immigration, the war on terror, and tax reform.

Let this serve as a call to all engaged Americans. Do your own research, and come to your own conclusions. Go to Fred08.com, click on issues. Read this! Don’t skim it, don’t glance at it. Read it throughly and decide.

Other politicians want you to buy into the idea that America is broken and you need to elect them in order to fix it. They’re wrong. America isn’t broke – it has just gone astray. The path back to the road isn’t one full of government handouts and entitlements – but rather, through hard work and diligence. Over 225 years ago, our fore fathers fought for freedom and liberty, fought for the idea that government DID NOT do everything, fought for the idea that if the people did for themselves, they would do for the whole. Now, we are giving up on these principles and giving back our freedom. Americans are counting on government to do everything including tell them what they should or should not eat. Fred Thompson believes in America, and believes that America can succeed without the big brother government we are threatening us today.

Right now, we need a President that is willing to draw a line in the sand and back it up. We need a President that is willing to make tough decisions. We need a President that is willing to stand up for what he believes in and stand up for what the American people believe in. That President is Fred Thompson.

Former United States ambassador John Bolton is charging that the latest National Intelligence Estimate as a “quasi-putsch” from within the State Department and Intel agencies.

BERLIN (Reuters) – U.S. intelligence services were seeking to influence political policy-making with their assessment Iran had halted its nuclear arms program in 2003, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton said.

Reuters Article

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democrats charged cover-up and demanded investigations into the CIA’s destruction of videotapes showing terrorism suspects being subjected to severe interrogation techniques.

Gasp, cover up. Gasp, we must investigate! Conspiracy, lies, scandal they scream.

This cannot be. The C.I.A. has no credibility and they are destroying these tapes to cover up severe interrogation techniques – the C.I.A. cannot be trusted.

Except when the C.I.A. heads up a report saying exactly what the Democrats want to hear. Certainly you remember the last two days, when Democrats have praised the work of the intelligence community for the results of the latest National Intelligence Estimate, claiming that Iran stopped nuclear production in 2003.

The hypocrisy of the left is as evident as ever. One day they love the intelligence community, and the next they call them scandalous and demand investigations. When Democrats talk about Iraq, the intelligence community got it all wrong; when Democrats talk about Iran, the intelligence community got it all right.

But as luck would have it, only 18% of Americans believe that Iran really did stop its weapons program – and next week Israel is going to prove it to the Joint Chief.

Reuters Article on C.I.A., Dems demand investigation

Poll: Only 18% believe

Israel to show U.S. evidence on Iran 

I just finished watching a replay of Mitt Romney’s “Faith in America” speech. I am one to rarely say this, but I was floored.

Before I continue, let me make clear that Fred Thompson has my endorsement for President. I believe that Fred Thompson is a man of principle and conviction and will be the strong leader that our country needs right now.

Today, however, Mitt Romney earned a lot of points with me. His speech said absolutely everything that needed to be said about religion, church, the state, and the separation thereof.  Romney delivered an excellently written speech with eloquence and precision. Make note as well that Romney’s specific religious doctrine was of no importance to me, today the Governor simply cemented my sentiments and thoughts.

The things that Mitt said about freedom spoke volumes, and can be applied to every aspect of our lives – not simply religion. Freedom, liberty, and tolerance are things that all Americans need to think about, and think about long and hard.

The thought that Conservatives, a group of Americans who have long took to heart the principles and beliefs of the founding fathers, could make judgment against a man because of his faith is simply irrational. The right to be free in one’s religion is an unalienable right, and to make judgment against a Presidential candidate because of his religion is not American.