(which would be ironic given their party's love of divisiveness!)

Yes, live by dividing, and die by dividing.

Your idea of splintering the GOP's votes even more is pretty interesting, but I really don't think Huckabee is going to be the nominee. Remember, it's always a "beauty contest" for the GOP. So, that can only mean one thing at the end. Romney. His hair says it all.

I only wish I could see it so clearly for our side, but I can't, since we don't have any criteria as predictable as the beauty part. And the press is suppressing our more qualified candidates, just because they don't want to have to write about substance themselves. Since it's just soooo much hard work...

The thought of a Bloomberg entry, though, just gives me a heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach, since he probably won't appeal to hard-core "values voters," but might actually attract some Democratic votes.

to try to paint Bloomberg as a Neocon based on his past statements, beliefs, and associations, because some of our Democratic candidates (and many of our Congressional Dems) could be splattered with that same paint. I don't believe he's much of a Neocon, anyway. The Weekly Standard trashed him as soon as he publicly tinkered with running: ...

No, the ground is very solid if one likes the truth. The Democratic Party is also infested with neo-cons and many will come home to the party now that they have destroyed the Repubs. The is little difference in the two blood thirsty parties; only who should be killed next and for what reason.

The party of Teddy Roosevelt, Harry Truman, LBJ, and Clinton are no peacenic flower children. Did anyone notice a change in policy as the Dems got back in power in the Congress? I did not.

"Our international leadership has become confused and directionless. We are no longer the shining beacon of freedom and justice to our fellow nations."

America has not lost the status of a "shining beacon" because it's "confused and directionless," America has lost that status because it's now bloodthirsty and vicious. We've got a guy who wrote a column in our local paper justifying waterboarding (Two days before Christmas, natch). He got tons of angry mail and wailed like the WaPo Ombudswoman Deborah Howell at how mean all the commenters were. He wrote something to the effect of: "Hey, just because I justify torturing someone doesn't mean people can write me nasty letters!"

BTW, I appreciate the return of that old 60s term "Establishment." It's appropriate because it means more than just one political party, it refers to the whole group that rules us.

"...it's hard to see how the candidacy of a divorced, unmarried, stridently pro-gun-control, pro-choice, socially liberal New York City billionaire would accomplish anything..."

Any reason Bloomberg can't merely transform himself into a gun-loving, antiabortion, social conservative? Very few of the candidates, esp. on the right, seem constrained by who they used to be from trying to become who they think the voters want them to be.

24%?

A study by Scarborough Research indicates that San Diego, California, is is the 5th highest organic consumption city; 24 percent of adults buy healthy, non-chemical, food. We are what we intake? That's either words or what is eatable? Yes.

Is it any surprise that the nation's first organic (holistic) organic "fast food cafe" chain has 8-locations in the city, plus kiosks at two universities (Ohio State?). O, Organic To Go! We are what we read (intake-assimilate) and consume-intake!

GOPs who run for the White House residency are eaters of rotten eggs? Yes. GG is not a blunt smoke, but rather a sharp law-shrink!

Yahoo. Yip, Yip, Ya-how, yack yack,

you!

okay. I'll go back to the farm feedlot.

Organic how-youza' will forgive me?

Youze are supposed to. Thanks, merci!

http://nytimes.com/2007/03/25/nyregion/25infiltrate.html

City Police Spied Broadly Before G.O.P. Convention
By JIM DWYER
Published: March 25, 2007

For at least a year before the 2004 Republican National Convention, teams of undercover New York City police officers traveled to cities across the country, Canada and Europe to conduct covert observations of people who planned to protest at the convention, according to police records and interviews.

[...] In February 2003, the Police Department, with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s support, was given broad new authority by Judge Haight to conduct such monitoring. However, a senior police official must still determine that there is some indication of illegal activity before an inquiry is begun.

[...] In the records reviewed by The Times, some of the police intelligence concerned people and groups bent on causing trouble, but the bulk of the reports covered the plans and views of people with no obvious intention of breaking the law.

[...] At the other end of the threat spectrum was Joshua Kinberg, a graduate student at Parsons School of Design and the subject of four pages of intelligence reports, including two pictures. For his master’s thesis project, Mr. Kinberg devised a “wireless bicycle” equipped with cellphone, laptop and spray tubes that could squirt messages received over the Internet onto the sidewalk or street.

The messages were printed in water-soluble chalk, a tactic meant to avoid a criminal mischief charge for using paint, an intelligence report noted. Mr. Kinberg’s bicycle was “capable of transferring activist-based messages on streets and sidewalks,” according to a report on July 22, 2004.

“This bicycle, having been built for the sole purpose of protesting during the R.N.C., is capable of spraying anti-R.N.C.-type messages on surrounding streets and sidewalks, also supplying the rider with a quick vehicle of escape,” the report said. Mr. Kinberg, then 25, was arrested during a television interview with Ron Reagan for MSNBC’s “Hardball” program during the convention. He was released a day later, but his equipment was held for more than a year.

Mr. Kinberg said Friday that after his arrest, detectives with the terrorism task force asked if he knew of any plans for violence. “I’m an artist,” he said. “I know other artists, who make T-shirts and signs.”

He added: “There’s no reason I should have been placed on any kind of surveillance status. It affected me, my ability to exercise free speech, and the ability of thousands of people who were sending in messages for the bike, to exercise their free speech.”

- - Jim Dwyer, NYTimes, 03/25/2007

The charges against Joshua Kinberg were dismissed, but the NYPD still hasn't released his bike.