The Mantle of Leadership

October 8, 2012, Lexington, Virginia, Virginia Military Institute.  Mitt Romney delivered his speech, "The Mantle of Leadership," which addressed foreign policy and our problems in the Middle East, focusing on the Libyan 9-11 attack on our American consulate.  The transcript of this speech follows:

"I particularly appreciate the introduction from my good friend and tireless campaign companion, Gov. Bob McDonnell. He is showing what conservative leadership can do to build a stronger economy. Thank you also Congressman Goodlatte for joining us today. And particular thanks to Gen. Peay. I appreciate your invitation to be with you today at the Virginia Military Institute. It is a great privilege to be here at an Institution that has done so much for our nation, both in war and in peace.

For more than 170 years, VMI has done more than educate students. It has guided their transformation into citizens, and warriors, and leaders. VMI graduates have served with honor in our nation's defense, just as many are doing today in Afghanistan and other lands. Since the September 11th attacks, many of VMI's sons and daughters have defended America, and I mourn with you the 15 brave souls who have been lost. I join you in praying for the many VMI graduates and all Americans who are now serving in harm's way. May God bless all who serve, and all who have served.

Of all the VMI graduates, none is more distinguished than George Marshall-the Chief of Staff of the Army who became Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense, who helped to vanquish fascism and then planned Europe's rescue from despair. His commitment to peace was born of his direct knowledge of the awful costs and consequences of war.

General Marshall once said, "The only way human beings can win a war is to prevent it." Those words were true in his time-and they still echo in ours.

Last month, our nation was attacked again. A U.S. Ambassador and three of our fellow Americans are dead-murdered in Benghazi, Libya. Among the dead were three veterans. All of them were fine men, on a mission of peace and friendship to a nation that dearly longs for both. President Obama has said that Ambassador Chris Stevens and his colleagues represented the best of America. And he is right. We all mourn their loss.

The attacks against us in Libya were not an isolated incident. They were accompanied by anti-American riots in nearly two dozen other countries, mostly in the Middle East, but also in Africa and Asia. Our embassies have been attacked. Our flag has been burned. Many of our citizens have been threatened and driven from their overseas homes by vicious mobs, shouting "Death to America." These mobs hoisted the black banner of Islamic extremism over American embassies on the anniversary of the September 11th attacks.

As the dust settles, as the murdered are buried, Americans are asking how this happened, how the threats we face have grown so much worse, and what this calls on America to do. These are the right questions. And I have come here today to offer a larger perspective on these tragic recent events-and to share with you, and all Americans, my vision for a freer, more prosperous, and more peaceful world.

The attacks on America last month should not be seen as random acts. They are expressions of a larger struggle that is playing out across the broader Middle East-a region that is now in the midst of the most profound upheaval in a century. And the fault lines of this struggle can be seen clearly in Benghazi itself.

The attack on our Consulate in Benghazi on September 11th, 2012 was likely the work of forces affiliated with those that attacked our homeland on September 11th, 2001. This latest assault cannot be blamed on a reprehensible video insulting Islam, despite the Administration's attempts to convince us of that for so long. No, as the Administration has finally conceded, these attacks were the deliberate work of terrorists who use violence to impose their dark ideology on others, especially women and girls; who are fighting to control much of the Middle East today; and who seek to wage perpetual war on the West.

We saw all of this in Benghazi last month-but we also saw something else, something hopeful. After the attack on our Consulate, tens of thousands of Libyans, most of them young people, held a massive protest in Benghazi against the very extremists who murdered our people. They waved signs that read, "The Ambassador was Libya's friend" and "Libya is sorry." They chanted "No to militias." They marched, unarmed, to the terrorist compound. Then they burned it to the ground. As one Libyan woman said, "We are not going to go from darkness to darkness."

This is the struggle that is now shaking the entire Middle East to its foundation. It is the struggle of millions and millions of people-men and women, young and old, Muslims, Christians and non-believers-all of whom have had enough of the darkness. It is a struggle for the dignity that comes with freedom, and opportunity, and the right to live under laws of our own making. It is a struggle that has unfolded under green banners in the streets of Iran, in the public squares of Tunisia and Egypt and Yemen, and in the fights for liberty in Iraq, and Afghanistan, and Libya, and now Syria. In short, it is a struggle between liberty and tyranny, justice and oppression, hope and despair.

We have seen this struggle before. It would be familiar to George Marshall. In his time, in the ashes of world war, another critical part of the world was torn between democracy and despotism. Fortunately, we had leaders of courage and vision, both Republicans and Democrats, who knew that America had to support friends who shared our values, and prevent today's crises from becoming tomorrow's conflicts.

Statesmen like Marshall rallied our nation to rise to its responsibilities as the leader of the free world. We helped our friends to build and sustain free societies and free markets. We defended our friends, and ourselves, from our common enemies. We led. And though the path was long and uncertain, the thought of war in Europe is as inconceivable today as it seemed inevitable in the last century.

This is what makes America exceptional: It is not just the character of our country-it is the record of our accomplishments. America has a proud history of strong, confident, principled global leadership-a history that has been written by patriots of both parties. That is America at its best. And it is the standard by which we measure every President, as well as anyone who wishes to be President. Unfortunately, this President's policies have not been equal to our best examples of world leadership. And nowhere is this more evident than in the Middle East.

I want to be very clear: The blame for the murder of our people in Libya, and the attacks on our embassies in so many other countries, lies solely with those who carried them out-no one else. But it is the responsibility of our President to use America's great power to shape history-not to lead from behind, leaving our destiny at the mercy of events. Unfortunately, that is exactly where we find ourselves in the Middle East under President Obama.

The relationship between the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of Israel, our closest ally in the region, has suffered great strains. The President explicitly stated that his goal was to put "daylight" between the United States and Israel. And he has succeeded. This is a dangerous situation that has set back the hope of peace in the Middle East and emboldened our mutual adversaries, especially Iran.

Iran today has never been closer to a nuclear weapons capability. It has never posed a greater danger to our friends, our allies, and to us. And it has never acted less deterred by America, as was made clear last year when Iranian agents plotted to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador in our nation's capital. And yet, when millions of Iranians took to the streets in June of 2009, when they demanded freedom from a cruel regime that threatens the world, when they cried out, "Are you with us, or are you with them?"-the American President was silent.

Across the greater Middle East, as the joy born from the downfall of dictators has given way to the painstaking work of building capable security forces, and growing economies, and developing democratic institutions, the President has failed to offer the tangible support that our partners want and need.

In Iraq, the costly gains made by our troops are being eroded by rising violence, a resurgent Al-Qaeda, the weakening of democracy in Baghdad, and the rising influence of Iran. And yet, America's ability to influence events for the better in Iraq has been undermined by the abrupt withdrawal of our entire troop presence. The President tried-and failed-to secure a responsible and gradual drawdown that would have better secured our gains.

The President has failed to lead in Syria, where more than 30,000 men, women, and children have been massacred by the Assad regime over the past 20 months. Violent extremists are flowing into the fight. Our ally Turkey has been attacked. And the conflict threatens stability in the region.

America can take pride in the blows that our military and intelligence professionals have inflicted on Al-Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan, including the killing of Osama bin Laden. These are real achievements won at a high cost. But Al-Qaeda remains a strong force in Yemen and Somalia, in Libya and other parts of North Africa, in Iraq, and now in Syria. And other extremists have gained ground across the region. Drones and the modern instruments of war are important tools in our fight, but they are no substitute for a national security strategy for the Middle East.

The President is fond of saying that "The tide of war is receding." And I want to believe him as much as anyone. But when we look at the Middle East today-with Iran closer than ever to nuclear weapons capability, with the conflict in Syria threating to destabilize the region, with violent extremists on the march, and with an American Ambassador and three others dead likely at the hands of Al-Qaeda affiliates- it is clear that the risk of conflict in the region is higher now than when the President took office.

I know the President hopes for a safer, freer, and a more prosperous Middle East allied with the United States. I share this hope. But hope is not a strategy. We cannot support our friends and defeat our enemies in the Middle East when our words are not backed up by deeds, when our defense spending is being arbitrarily and deeply cut, when we have no trade agenda to speak of, and the perception of our strategy is not one of partnership, but of passivity.

The greater tragedy of it all is that we are missing an historic opportunity to win new friends who share our values in the Middle East-friends who are fighting for their own futures against the very same violent extremists, and evil tyrants, and angry mobs who seek to harm us. Unfortunately, so many of these people who could be our friends feel that our President is indifferent to their quest for freedom and dignity. As one Syrian woman put it, "We will not forget that you forgot about us."

It is time to change course in the Middle East. That course should be organized around these bedrock principles: America must have confidence in our cause, clarity in our purpose and resolve in our might. No friend of America will question our commitment to support them... no enemy that attacks America will question our resolve to defeat them... and no one anywhere, friend or foe, will doubt America's capability to back up our words.

I will put the leaders of Iran on notice that the United States and our friends and allies will prevent them from acquiring nuclear weapons capability. I will not hesitate to impose new sanctions on Iran, and will tighten the sanctions we currently have. I will restore the permanent presence of aircraft carrier task forces in both the Eastern Mediterranean and the Gulf region-and work with Israel to increase our military assistance and coordination. For the sake of peace, we must make clear to Iran through actions-not just words-that their nuclear pursuit will not be tolerated.

I will reaffirm our historic ties to Israel and our abiding commitment to its security-the world must never see any daylight between our two nations.

I will deepen our critical cooperation with our partners in the Gulf.

And I will roll back President Obama's deep and arbitrary cuts to our national defense that would devastate our military. I will make the critical defense investments that we need to remain secure. The decisions we make today will determine our ability to protect America tomorrow. The first purpose of a strong military is to prevent war.

The size of our Navy is at levels not seen since 1916. I will restore our Navy to the size needed to fulfill our missions by building 15 ships per year, including three submarines. I will implement effective missile defenses to protect against threats. And on this, there will be no flexibility with Vladimir Putin. And I will call on our NATO allies to keep the greatest military alliance in history strong by honoring their commitment to each devote 2 percent of their GDP to security spending. Today, only 3 of the 28 NATO nations meet this benchmark.

I will make further reforms to our foreign assistance to create incentives for good governance, free enterprise, and greater trade, in the Middle East and beyond. I will organize all assistance efforts in the greater Middle East under one official with responsibility and accountability to prioritize efforts and produce results. I will rally our friends and allies to match our generosity with theirs. And I will make it clear to the recipients of our aid that, in return for our material support, they must meet the responsibilities of every decent modern government-to respect the rights of all of their citizens, including women and minorities... to ensure space for civil society, a free media, political parties, and an independent judiciary... and to abide by their international commitments to protect our diplomats and our property.

I will champion free trade and restore it as a critical element of our strategy, both in the Middle East and across the world. The President has not signed one new free trade agreement in the past four years. I will reverse that failure. I will work with nations around the world that are committed to the principles of free enterprise, expanding existing relationships and establishing new ones.

I will support friends across the Middle East who share our values, but need help defending them and their sovereignty against our common enemies.

In Libya, I will support the Libyan people's efforts to forge a lasting government that represents all of them, and I will vigorously pursue the terrorists who attacked our consulate in Benghazi and killed Americans.

In Egypt, I will use our influence-including clear conditions on our aid-to urge the new government to represent all Egyptians, to build democratic institutions, and to maintain its peace treaty with Israel. And we must persuade our friends and allies to place similar stipulations on their aid.

In Syria, I will work with our partners to identify and organize those members of the opposition who share our values and ensure they obtain the arms they need to defeat Assad's tanks, helicopters, and fighter jets. Iran is sending arms to Assad because they know his downfall would be a strategic defeat for them. We should be working no less vigorously with our international partners to support the many Syrians who would deliver that defeat to Iran-rather than sitting on the sidelines. It is essential that we develop influence with those forces in Syria that will one day lead a country that sits at the heart of the Middle East.

And in Afghanistan, I will pursue a real and successful transition to Afghan security forces by the end of 2014. President Obama would have you believe that anyone who disagrees with his decisions in Afghanistan is arguing for endless war. But the route to more war - and to potential attacks here at home - is a politically timed retreat that abandons the Afghan people to the same extremists who ravaged their country and used it to launch the attacks of 9/11. I will evaluate conditions on the ground and weigh the best advice of our military commanders. And I will affirm that my duty is not to my political prospects, but to the security of the nation.

Finally, I will recommit America to the goal of a democratic, prosperous Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with the Jewish state of Israel. On this vital issue, the President has failed, and what should be a negotiation process has devolved into a series of heated disputes at the United Nations. In this old conflict, as in every challenge we face in the Middle East, only a new President will bring the chance to begin anew.

There is a longing for American leadership in the Middle East-and it is not unique to that region. It is broadly felt by America's friends and allies in other parts of the world as well- in Europe, where Putin's Russia casts a long shadow over young democracies, and where our oldest allies have been told we are "pivoting" away from them ... in Asia and across the Pacific, where China's recent assertiveness is sending chills through the region ... and here in our own hemisphere, where our neighbors in Latin America want to resist the failed ideology of Hugo Chavez and the Castro brothers and deepen ties with the United States on trade, energy, and security. But in all of these places, just as in the Middle East, the question is asked: "Where does America stand?"

I know many Americans are asking a different question: "Why us?" I know many Americans are asking whether our country today-with our ailing economy, and our massive debt, and after 11 years at war-is still capable of leading.

I believe that if America does not lead, others will-others who do not share our interests and our values-and the world will grow darker, for our friends and for us. America's security and the cause of freedom cannot afford four more years like the last four years. I am running for President because I believe the leader of the free world has a duty, to our citizens, and to our friends everywhere, to use America's great influence-wisely, with solemnity and without false pride, but also firmly and actively-to shape events in ways that secure our interests, further our values, prevent conflict, and make the world better-not perfect, but better.

Our friends and allies across the globe do not want less American leadership. They want more-more of our moral support, more of our security cooperation, more of our trade, and more of our assistance in building free societies and thriving economies. So many people across the world still look to America as the best hope of humankind. So many people still have faith in America. We must show them that we still have faith in ourselves-that we have the will and the wisdom to revive our stagnant economy, to roll back our unsustainable debt, to reform our government, to reverse the catastrophic cuts now threatening our national defense, to renew the sources of our great power, and to lead the course of human events.

Sir Winston Churchill once said of George Marshall: "He ... always fought victoriously against defeatism, discouragement, and disillusion." That is the role our friends want America to play again. And it is the role we must play.

The 21st century can and must be an American century. It began with terror, war, and economic calamity. It is our duty to steer it onto the path of freedom, peace, and prosperity.

The torch America carries is one of decency and hope. It is not America's torch alone. But it is America's duty - and honor - to hold it high enough that all the world can see its light.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America."

This speech may not have clinched the election--neither speeches nor debates generally have that ability--but I believe it made the case to conservatives who were uncertain about Mitt, that he is undoubtedly the best choice in this election.  

On Thursday Paul Ryan will debate Joe Biden.  It is crucial for Ryan to hit a home run, while Biden, (a.k.a. Village Idiot) has much lower expectations and a free pass by liberals to have a gaffefest.  But don't count Joe out--he gaffes with all his heart and liberals only care about emotions.

The left calls Mitt a liar because they have nothing else.  After hearing this speech, there seems to be little doubt that Mitt is a hundred times the leader Obama is--he has clarity of ideas and policies and cares less about what other nations think of us than that they respect us.  Under Obama, they've laughed at us and see how weak he is.

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Omar Khadr: A Freedom Fighter or Jihadist Garbage?

Omar Khadr is back in Canada and no longer has to tolerate the rats and other vermin at Guantanamo Bay--the other vermin being jihadists who are being kept there for the safety of the free world.  There are some in Canada, (liberals, people who merrily went-a-occupying, Muslims, college professors, students of Caribbean political science, and MSNBC lovers ) who believe Omar Khadr is a freedom fighter.  If that's true, then it is incumbent upon us to clearly define what is meant by freedom.

According to Dictionary.com, freedom is defined as:  1. the state of being free, or at liberty rather than inconfinement or under physical restraint. 2. exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc. 3. the power to determine action without restraint.  4. personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery.

When you ask whether or not Khadr is a freedom fighter, it is best to understand that he considers himself to be a devout Muslim and by being so is compelled to undertake jihad, which, according to the Dictionary of Islam, is defined as "A religious war with those who are unbelievers in the mission of Muhammad . . . enjoined especially for the purpose of advancing Islam and repelling evil from Muslims.  Islamic scholar, Bernard Lewis, makes a case that in the hadith and classic Islamic manuals, jihad is mostly military in its meaning and "struggle."  Omar Khadr seems to exemplify a military jihadist and helps prove Lewis's notion.

In the second part of the definition of freedom, Islamic law is anything but freedom from external control.  Islam controls all of what a "true believer" does in life, from how he grows his beard, when and how he prays to Allah (who is really Muhammad in disguise), treats his wives, and treats others.  In fact, it is expected of a devout Muslim to hate Jews and not feel warm and fuzzy toward Christians too. There are more regulations, interference, and external controls in Islam than there are at an OCD convention.

Omar's Bar Mitzvah photo

The third part of the definition, the power to determine action without constraint, is an area that is easy to compare with Islamic law and jihad.  If, for example, a Muslim woman does not do what is required of her, like cover all exposed skin, only leave her home with a male chaperone (even her son might suffice) and never allow a man who is not a family member to enter her home, she will be punished, and if the deed is considered "un-Islamic enough, she will be buried up to her neck in the ground and stoned until dead by the good townspeople of her village.

Fourth definition--personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery--is exactly counterpoint to Muhammad's religion of peace.  In Islam there is no personal liberty, there is only bondage to the religion and slavery to it.  But worse, Muhammad himself took slaves when he conquered the tribes of the desert.  He had sex with his slaves and encouraged his men to do the same with their slaves.  In some cases Muhammad married the women he took from the tribes he slaughtered.  Imagine, killing a man then taking the man's wife as his own wife.  This was Muhammad; the man Muslims emulate.  This is Omar Khadr, the freedom fighter, the fifteen year old boy who, from birth to prison learned to be a good Muslim.  The boy who likely sat on his father's lap and heard the Islamic stories of how Jews are lower than animals, Christians are pigs, and women are inferior to men.  Imagine how deeply indoctrinated Omar Khadr is and how impossible it would be to change him, having learned these things on his father's lap.

Sure, people change, but monsters, well, I'm not so sure they can change all that much.  You can say Omar Khadr never had a chance to be anything but the monster he is.  Maybe some would say he is merely a victim in all this, having had no chance to learn another way of life as he was born into a family where father was a jihadist, killed in action while trying to kill unbelievers.  

But it is precisely because he is a victim from the cradle that he should never be let free because he will kill again.  It is his religious duty, just like Osma bin Laden knew the Koran to say that killing Americans, the Big Satan, was his religious duty.  There are millions upon millions of Muslims who believe that bin Laden is in Paradise for his jihadist deeds.  Many will not admit this, but many believe it and the number who do is staggering.

So let Omar Khadr, hero to the jihad, rot in jail.  We infidels will all be safer for now, but I don't know what will happen when he gets out.

My latest novel, Jihad Joe, is about Islamic terrorism and suspense.  In it I challenge the precepts of the religion through my protagonist, Zed Nill, a journalist, captured by terrorists and who is destined to be killed if the American President refuses to release three Gitmo prisoners.  Of course, American policy demands we never give in to terrorists, and for Zed, the clock is ticking.

Jihad Joe Soft Cover       

click here for ebook version  

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The First Presidential Debate: Do You Have Any Doubts?

Barack mentioned the middle class 19 times last night and seemed unprepared, like the kid who didn't study for his English exam because he already speaks English.  Mitt looked presidential and prepared.  Lannie Davis said that Barack's best asset is that people like him but did not feel like him in the debate.  That's the main reason why Barack was elected in the first place--we knew nothing about him but for the fact that he was likeable. and John McCain wasn't cool.

Today's spin from the left is a joke.  Jenn Psaki, Obama's Traveling Campaign Secretary, claimed that Mitt was well rehearsed and was akin to an attack dog.  She said that Mitt won merely on style.  Now let's face it, Barack is the one with style and with his Teleprompter, he's deadly smooth and well spoken, and to think that Mitt has style without substance is ridiculous.

Even Bill-Conservative-Women-Are-C--ts-Maher tweeted "Obama made a lot of great points tonight.  Unfortunately, most of them were for Romney."  I responded to Maher with: "Looks like you bought a ticket on the Titanic.  Obama is your Solyndra, Bill."  Maher also tweeted: "Maybe the President DOES need his Teleprompter."  When Maher says these things, you know Barack is up to his lips in quagmire.

 Mitt was personable and real; Barack was like the Grinch, rarely making eye-contact, sneering while trying to smile, and unable to attack effectively.  Arrogance and conceit are a deadly combination to have when going in to a debate.  Barack felt that he didn't need to prepare, just smile and act professorial.  Well, the professor lost to the CEO in last night's debate, and we can only hope that this will reflect the election results.

Finally, I checked out MNSBC after the debate and I honestly had one of the best laughs that I've had in a long time.  Ed Schitz, Rachel Madcow, Al Sharptongue and Lawrence O'Damnhell were going nuts.  They were almost to the point of soiling themselves over Mitt's obvious win.  It was actually fun to watch and I recommend you try it some time.  Even Tingles Matthews couldn't control his feelings for Obama and it put a smile on my face and a song in my heart.  I don't want to be too optimistic, but this election is looking a lot more competitive than the left would have us believe.

Hope and change, baby; hope and change.

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It's Getting Even More Crazy Out There

The Syrian army fired mortars into Turkey and killed a family of five, one of whom was a six year old child.  Turkey has responded with a counter-strike but information is sparse at this time, and all we can do is wait for an explanation as to what the hell the Syrians were thinking.  My first thought is that some Syrian civilians crossed the border seeking asylum and the Syrian army felt an obligation to kill them.

One thing I've noticed in recent times is that there seems to be no significant migration of Westerners to Muslim nations, yet there have been many people in Islamic countries who have come to the West.  Sadly, some of these same people who fled the tyranny of Sharia have come here only to have had their own insulated community impose Sharia upon them, or face the familial wrath of a "dishonored" family member throwing acid in the face of a daughter for not covering up all her skin thus allowing some man to look upon her with lust and be forced to rape her.

So the wars go on and the killing continues and while all this takes place, we send more money to those who hate us.  If that isn't crazy, well it has to be pretty stupid and I think it will not be long before Americans get fed up and perhaps actually do something about it.  But for now they're blind and the proof is the fact that Obama is polling well and should be in the dumper.

I will watch this story on Turkey and Syria and get right on it as soon as I learn more.  I know that I've digressed since I began writing this piece, but that's how I roll.

Peace out.

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Six Strategies Obama Might Use to Win the First Debate

Tonight is the big debate and by the time you read this, the results will probably be in.  Nevertheless, I want to put my two cents in as to what I believe Obama will need to do in order to win this debate.

1. The first thing Obama needs to do is brush his teeth just before he goes on stage.  Barack has a great smile and it has gotten him a lot of mileage in his political career.  With just one flash of those pearly whites, people have been convinced that Barack Hussein Obama is the best thing since Mohammad sliced bread, which makes one wonder just what was the best thing prior to sliced bread--clothing?

2. Barack needs to practice his cool pimp roll so that when he walks onto the stage and approaches the podium, his liberal fans go into brain lock and turn off their BS meters like they had to do to have voted for him in the first place.  It isn't important what he says, it's how he says it and how he looks while saying it.  Let's face it, women didn't vote for JFK when he ran for President; they voted for JFK's hair and in this election many liberal women will vote for the way Barack sings and dances.  Many liberal women will even vote for Barack based on the actresses who endorse him yet know nothing about politics or care about how his policies will hurt the lower and middle class.  These celebrities have enough money to forgo worrying about their financial futures and the idea of increased taxes is chump change for them.

3. Hussein needs to divert the audience's attention away from the last four years and get them to focus on the debt rolled up by GW Bush.  When asked specifics, like when he said that George Bush's adding of $4 trillion of debt in 8 years, is unpatriotic, but he added over $5 trillion in just 4 years, Obama needs to burst into song in that smooth falsetto he has; something bluesy like, "I'm so in love with you." 

4. If Joe Biden's statement comes up about how the middle class has been buried the last 4 years, Obama needs to attack Romney by attacking Paul Ryan's crazy budget proposal.  He can also attack Joe Biden for telling the truth and threaten to replace him with a hand puppet.   If Mitt comes back with the fact that the Democrats failed to come up with a budget, good or bad, Barack needs to pull the race card and use that patented smile.

5. If the issue of the attack on the American Consulate in Libya is discussed, and that it was not called terrorism in spite of the fact the administration knew about it, Barry must throw Susan Rice under the bus and blame her for giving his administration false information she received from the Egyptian ambassador, a guy she met at the UN and who invited her to a hookah party.

6. If all else fails and it becomes apparent that Mitt is winning the debate, Hussein should be able to come up with information about Mitt's past that would be damning.  He did it before to others he ran against in Chicago like when he had the divorce records unsealed of the man he ran against.  In Mitt's case, if Barack can't find some dirt, he can always have his pal, David Axelrod, make something up--he's very creative.

My latest novel, Jihad Joe, is about Islamic terrorism and suspense.  In it I challenge the precepts of the religion through my protagonist, Zed Nill, a journalist, captured by terrorists and who is destined to be killed if the American President refuses to release three Gitmo prisoners.  Of course, American policy demands we never give in to terrorists, and for Zed, the clock is ticking.

Jihad Joe Soft Cover       

click here for ebook version   

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The Great Debate

Who will win the Presidential debate tomorrow?  I think it's a toss up.  The liberals who like Barack Hussein Obama are under his celebrity spell so it doesn't really matter what he says or how he answers tough questions; it's how he speaks, smiles, and bounces around on his cool way to the podium.  Obama is more politician than President, more cool than effective.  In fact, I don't see him as a president at all, but as a guy who knows how to use racial guilt, personal sabotage and deceit to reach his lofty goals.  As brilliant as he was touted to be, I think he's probably average and got to where he is much the same way Elizabeth Warren got to hers, at least to where race is concerned.

Mitt Romney, on the other hand, is definitely not cool and not a celebrity.  Actresses like Eve Longoria, who want to pretend they're bright and knowledgeable about politics, and who are never effected by this horrible economy, will never back Mitt.  These  cretins believe that Obama actually advocates for women in spite of the evidence that shows how women have been the most adversely affected in the job market.  And the way Obama has praised the Arab Spring (great call Mr. President) and the religion of Islam, where women are treated like possessions and brutalized by the Islamic religion, doesn't ring a bell in their empty heads.  If push came to shove, Obama has said that he would stand behind Islam--this is in his autobiography, written before he actually had much of a life--in his words, not mine.

The problem that Mitt Romney has is that he's a gentleman, not a fighter.  He needs to attack Obama, I believe, and nail him on the economy.  He needs to nail him on the Libyan attack where Obama refused to blame it on terrorism.  He needs to nail him on Fast and Furious and how it got buried under Presidential privilege.  He also needs to stand strong behind his successes, not apologize for them, and challenge Obama on his lack of economic and business acumen.

Liberals who voted for the "Anointed One," as Hannity refers to Obama, will vote for him again, mostly because they don't care about facts but care about what their hearts tell them to do; and conservatives will vote for Mitt Romney because they do care about the facts.  Independents will probably end up voting for the person with the best TV ads and perhaps the person who makes the best impression on them in the debates.  Winning the debates will not be determined on who actually "wins," but on who makes the best impression on the independent voters.

There's an amazing video out on Obama taken in 2007 where he spoke to a black audience that you can see here  where our president panders to the audience and clearly shows his racist feelings.  If this is the guy you really want to vote for, no debate will ever change your mind.  And if Obama gets re-elected, our country will change like you've never imagined.

My latest novel, Jihad Joe, is about Islamic terrorism and suspense.  In it I challenge the precepts of the religion through my protagonist, Zed Nill, a journalist, captured by terrorists and who is destined to be killed if the American President refuses to release three Gitmo prisoners.  Of course, American policy demands we never give in to terrorists, and for Zed, the clock is ticking.

Jihad Joe Soft Cover       

click here for ebook version   

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Flying Lessons: a crash course

Last year when we had finally settled into the Canadian life, my wife noticed a little road sign telling that our local airport was providing sight-seeing flights around town.  The flights only cost thirty bucks but we didn't get the chance to go.  Today we saw another road sign in the same place that advertised flying lessons and it made me think of the recent terrorist attack on the American consulate in Libya.  Planes often make me think of Islamic terrorism since the first 9-11, living in New York where burnt papers ended up in the gutter of my roof on that day--it was surreal.  So the first weird thought that came to my mind was: "Learn to Fly With Us--take our crash course."  Now the sign didn't really say that, but this is often how my mind works.

Today is my first official vacation day in Canada.  I've been here since Canada Day 2010 and wasn't allowed to work until I finally got my work permit this past February and began my job in March where I went from psychologist/writer to furniture salesperson/writer.  Writers never stop being writers, and I'm currently working on a novel about the Occupy Walls Street movement--my working title is "Scent of a Movement."  So although I wasn't "working" at a "real job," I wrote a novel, Jihad Joe, as I stayed at home.  The reality is, of course, that writing a novel is probably one of the most difficult things a person can do, especially one that requires extensive research.

"I'll give you fifty bucks for that sofa"

So my first day of Canadian vacation was spent with my wife and because it was overcast and threatening rain, we went shopping.  I know that may sound boring to you, but it was nice to have time off from selling furniture to people whose goals are to keep me from making a decent living.

My latest novel, Jihad Joe, is about Islamic terrorism and suspense.  In it I challenge the precepts of the religion through my protagonist, Zed Nill, a journalist, captured by terrorists and who is destined to be killed if the American President refuses to release three Gitmo prisoners.  Of course, American policy demands we never give in to terrorists, and for Zed, the clock is ticking.

Jihad Joe Soft Cover       

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Questioning the Lying Left

Sixteen days and still nobody knows what happened in Benghazi.  Was it a terrorist attack; was it a Muslim Boyscout troop gone rogue?  Was it George Bush's fault?  We've lost an ambassador, two Navy SEALs and another consulate worker and still no answers.

Susan Rice stated on five occasions that it wasn't a terrorist attack but a spontaneous demonstration gone bad.  She needs to find another job--perhaps as a server at Burger King.  And speaking of kings, why didn't Obama use the word 'terrorist' attack when Hillary finally did?  And why is Hillary judgment-proof when the extremists hit the fan?  As Secretary of State, doesn't she have some say in the matter?  Perhaps she should be in another line of work too--I know, how about a salesperson in a dress shop.

When you have an administration that lies to its people, you have a government that you cannot trust and a government that treats the people as children.  You have the makings of a nanny state that goes beyond entitlements, but limits your rights to know the truth.  And truth is the one entitlement we should all stand behind.

My latest novel, Jihad Joe, is about Islamic terrorism and suspense.  In it I challenge the precepts of the religion through my protagonist, Zed Nill, a journalist, captured by terrorists and who is destined to be killed if the American President refuses to release three Gitmo prisoners.  Of course, American policy demands we never give in to terrorists, and for Zed, the clock is ticking.

Jihad Joe Soft Cover       

click here for ebook version   

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