9:07 Mitt Romney is first up.

9:10 Says that Washington is liberal and that change would be making it conservative.

“Opportunity is what makes Hope attainable.”

9:15 “I have one more suggestion for energy conservation. Let’s keep Al Gore’s jet on the ground.”

9:16 Says the no mention was made at last weeks Dem convention about the issue of Radical Islam.

Short and well received.

Mike Huckabee is next. I missed the beginning of his speech.

9:31 There are some things we don’t want to change. Freedom, Security, the ability to succeed. (Didn’t get the exact quote).

9:35 “I’m not a Republican because I grew up rich. I’m a republican because I grew up poor and didn’t want to wait around for the government to rescue me.”

Repeats his line that Sarah Palin got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla than Joe Bidden got running for President of the United States.

Missed the end too.

9:44 Linda Lingle, Governor of Hawaii is up now talking about fellow Republican Governor, Sarah Palin.

10:02 Rudy Giuliani’s turn.

I’m short on time but thought these two stories deserved at least a mention:

Republicans walk out of House

House Republicans today walked out of the chamber en masse to protest the Democratic leaders’ refusal to revisit an update of the nation’s domestic wiretapping rules before the current law expires at midnight tomorrow.

Minority Leader John A. Boehner of Ohio led the walkout, saying Democrats were playing political games by calling a vote on contempt charges against White House chief of staff Josh Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers in the 2006 firing of U.S. attorneys.

Republicans say that the wiretapping law should be addressed first and is paramount to national security must be not be allowed to expire.

Once again it is clear that the left is more interested in “getting Bush” than addressing serious issues regarding the safety of our country. Of course they are attempting to spin this as the Republicans fighting the contempt charges against Bolten and Miers.

The other news is:

Romney to endorse McCain

Republican campaign dropout [You've got to love that description. Jim] Mitt Romney agreed Thursday to endorse Sen. John McCain for the party’s presidential nomination and ask his national convention delegates to swing behind the front-runner, according to officials familiar with the decision.

Romney collected 280 delegates during his run through the early primaries and caucuses, enough to move McCain close to the total of 1,191 needed to clinch the nomination a full nine months before the November general election.

I have read and heard on the radio that the official announcement is scheduled for 3:30 eastern time in Boston.

So, I’m sitting here listening to Rush and reading the reaction to Romney’s announcement at CPAC. The thought occurs to me that in all of the discussion about Romney dropping out of the race, McCain and his upcoming speech this afternoon, and all the rest of the talk about the GOP primary, I don’t recall seeing much of any discussion about Huckabee.

I know that he is even further away from winning the nomination than Romney was, but I would think that there would be some discussion of his prospects and influence to the remainder of the race. Or is he so irrelevant that such a discussion isn’t necessary.

This claim is popping up all over right now. Ed is liveblogging Romney’s speech.

Rush says that they have received a note from the Romney campaign confirming the rumors.

It’s True. Blue Crab Boulevard has the quote via Time

I disagree with Senator McCain on a number of issues, as you know. But I agree with him on doing whatever it takes to be successful in Iraq, on finding and executing Osama bin Laden, and on eliminating Al Qaeda and terror. If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror.

This is not an easy decision for me. I hate to lose. My family, my friends and our supporters… many of you right here in this room… have given a great deal to get me where I have a shot at becoming President. If this were only about me, I would go on. But I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, I feel I must now stand aside, for our party and for our country.

This certainly changes things, doesn’t it.

If you read my previous post you saw the results of the first ballot in WV:

Romney 41%
Huckabee 33%
McCain 16%
Paul 10%

Well ABC and CNN are reporting that Huckabee has won the West Virginia convention vote. Here are the latest figures:

Huckabee 52%
Romney 47%
McCain 1%
Paul 0%

So we can put 18 delegates in the Huckabee column. I find it interesting, but not surprising, that nearly all of McCain’s supporters switched to Huckabee. It’s been said many places, but the real truth of this will be seen today: A vote for Huckabee is a vote for McCain.

Unless you went to bed before 9 o’clock and then this is the first thing you’ve read, you already know that John McCain won the Florida Republican primary. That puts 57 more delegates in his column on the way to this summer’s convention.

Rudy Giuliani finished a distant third and is rumored to be heading for the exit. Also rumored is the idea that Giuliani will be endorsing John McCain after leaving the race. All of that could be confirmed sometime today.

Mike Huckabee finished another 2% behind Rudy Giuliani. I haven’t heard any talk about him dropping out, but I think that is an acknowledgment that his run is over no matter when he decides to bow out.

Ron Paul is completely out of the running, but will most likely stay in for a while longer. On a side note regarding Paul, I read a quote somewhere this past week where he said that this campaign has “exceeded all his expectations”. I can only conclude that he never expected to win, which begs the question why is he still in this race?

Sooper Oh My Gawd Tuesday will be here faster than Nancy Pelosi blinks. Clearly now a two man race, it will be most interesting to see how the next few days play out. Keep it tuned right here to find out.

Tomorrow is the Florida primary. Before I leave for work I’ll walk across the street and cast my ballot. That means I have about 25 hours to figure out which candidate will get my vote.

I hope that’s enough time.

Part of the decision making is easy. There never has been a chance that I would mark Ron Paul’s name on my ballot. His position on the war is the biggest reason I could never vote for him, but not the only one. And frankly, who would want to be associated with the wacko supporters he has attracted?

Mike Huckabee is out as well. His sound bites sound good, but sound good is about all he has going for him. His record in Arkansas speaks louder than the one-liners from the trail, and that’s not good at all.

That eliminates the two that thankfully won’t be causing me a November dilemma.

Leaving me with a choice of McCain, Giuliani, and Romney.

John McCain has much to recommend him, and much more to eliminate him from my picks. BCRAp is a horrible piece of legislation, but although it bears his name he is hardly alone in foisting this on us. Too many people, from all three branches of government, are responsible for that fiasco.

His leadership and support of the gag (no, that’s not a misspelling) of 14 was a huge mistake, but nothing can top his stance on illegal immigration. It doesn’t matter how many times he says that the position he supports isn’t amnesty. It is. More importantly, he still stands behind that position.

The appointment of Dr. Juan Hernandez as his Hispanic Outreach Director should be all anyone who supports strong border security needs to know. Kim Priestap describes him this way:

[. . .] an open-borders, put Mexico first fanatic. He’s a Texas born dual citizen who also served as Director of the Office for Mexicans Living Abroad in Vicente Fox’s administration.

Bull Dog Pundit sums up my thoughts very well.

Certainly McCain’s failure to disavow Gonzalez’s awful views and allowing him to volunteer for the campaign is a slap in the face of conservatives, and belies his claim that he “learned his lesson” on immigration reform, and raises serious doubts that if elected President he won’t push the same kind of amnesty bill that got defeated last year.

[...]

It just boggles the mind that McCain, who up to now has been able to weather the illegal immigration issue as well as can be expected would have this radioactive clown anywhere near his campaign when he needs every conservative vote he can in the upcoming “closed” primaries.

That leaves only Giuliani and Romney.

Giuliani is only slightly ahead of McCain when it comes to illegal immigration. That’s mostly because his influence on the issue was confined to the “It wasn’t a Sanctuary City” Sanctuary City of New York, not the national stage. Gun Control and social issues play a part in my elimination of Giuliani as well, but eliminate him I must.

So, I’m left with three choices — stay home (although I haven’t missed a chance to vote in years), vote for Fred Thompson (who I strongly wish was still a candidate), or vote for Mitt Romney.

Staying home really isn’t an option. It solves nothing and leaves me without a voice in the outcome. I strongly believe that voting is one of the most important things we do as citizens. It doesn’t matter if it’s a primary, the general elections, amendments, or for the proverbial dog catcher (who I can never remember seeing on a ballot). I won’t be staying home.

Some might say that casting my vote for Fred Thompson after he has dropped out of the race is the same as staying home. Maybe. But it sure would feel good. I still believe that he was the candidate that stood closest to the positions I feel strongly about. His policies, well thought out and articulated, are what I think would be best for America. I hope that he still plays a part in this election.

I won’t have to hold my nose if I decide to vote for Mitt Romney. His strength on economic issues is real and I am impressed with his real world experience in that regard. I don’t hold any animus for his change on the right to life issue. His explanation for his change is both understandable and credible. My one big worry is his stance on health care. If he doesn’t try to port what was done in Mass. to the nation it should be ok.

So, I’m now down to 23 hours to decide. I’ll let you know after I do.

Romney wins. . .Nevada. Ok, not really a big surprise, but that’s what Fox News is projecting as the caucuses have just closed.

Polls in South Carolina have been open for around an hour. If the opinion polls are correct John McCain and Mike Huckabee are battling for the win while Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney are virtually tied in the fight for third. Weather and turnout will play a part as well.

I have little expectation that what I write here will change that. I have no expectation that what I write here will even be read by enough South Carolinians to have any impact at all. Still, let me make my case:

If you live in South Carolina and are about to vote in the Republican primary there please don’t vote for McCain or Huckabee. They are not men who would advance conservative ideals important to you and the rest of the country.

As much respect as John McCain deserves for his service to the country, that does not make him the best person to lead the country. His support of such non-conservative initiatives as McCain – Feingold and the “Gang of 14″ should weigh heavily as you look elsewhere. Please don’t inflate his military service into the idea that he would lead conservatively.

Mike Huckabee would be an even worse choice. In spite of his words on the campaign trail his record in Arkansas should be quite enough to send you looking in a different direction. His convenient conversions on immigration and fiscal policy coupled with his view of the roll of government are just scary.

While his observation that God’s laws don’t change is absolutely correct, the idea that it is the role of government to implement God’s law is contrary to our nation’s history and plain good sense. Fred Thompson’s quote from a few days ago, “Christ didn’t tell us to go to the government and pass a bill to get some of these social problems dealt with. He told us to do it,” is quite the better way to understand the role of each. At the core this should be the big difference between the liberals and conservatives, the left looking to the government for the answers to societies ills (and solving them in their own frightening way), the right should continue to support what we have historically stood for — the primary importance of the individual.

One final appeal; please don’t base your vote today on who appears to be winning, or the notion that the candidate you support may not seem to have a chance. Look at the stands they have taken and the record they have amassed and then come out of the voting booth with the confidence that you supported the very best person to lead our nation.

Thanks for listening.

It’s not being called a debate, but a forum. Whatever you want to call it, Steveegg will be liveblogging it and I’ll be fulfilling my roll as troublemaker in chief.

Joining in will be Mike Huckalogan, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, and Fred Thompson.

The Republican debate in Iowa this past week is being universally awarded the Worst Debate Ever by most, if not all pundits. Jonathan Martin at The Politico wrote on Friday:

Dissatisfied with the debate here Wednesday that drew widespread scorn, Iowa Republicans will discuss on Friday the possibility of holding another forum before the January 3rd caucuses.

The debate this week, sponsored by the Des Moines Register and Iowa Public Television, was to have been the final gathering of the GOP contenders, but one well-placed Iowa Republican said tonight that they were interested in getting the candidates back together

“We’d prefer if the Register debate did not leave a bad taste,” said this source, who requested anonymity. “Iowa deserves a little better than that.”

The most likely possibility would be the week after Christmas, when many of the contenders are expected back in the state to make a final push before the voting.

I do agree with Allahpundit who wrote, “Do it well or don’t do it.”

The biggest obstacle will be the logistics of the short time left between the Christmas holidays and the Caucuses. Leaving that aside, what would make this debate worth doing?

I have a few suggestions:

• Limit the debate to Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Fred Thompson, and Mitt Romney. While I like both Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo, eliminating them along with Ron Paul and Alan Keyes (why was he included anyhow?) would allow for a much more substantive debate.
• Limit the number of questions. Allow more substance over quantity.
• Related to the above, allow the candidates time to answer, allow rebuttal, and encourage discussion.
• Find a moderator who can control all of the above, and ask relevant follow up questions. I have seen Rush suggested.

Add your suggestions in the comments. How many and what questions should be asked? Who should moderate? Format? Anything else?

Ahh, the spirit of apologies are in the air. As Jay notes at Stop The ACLU:

Well, first we had Huckabee apologizing to Mitt over religion, then Hillary apologizing to Obama over drug use. It seems to be a political trend this season.

The best, however, has to be Fred Thompson apologizing to Mike Huckabee:

In light of Mike Huckabee’s heartfelt apology to Mitt Romney for making reference to Romney’s religion in the New York Times Magazine, we at the Thompson Campaign would like to offer Huckabee our own heartfelt apologies for some references we’ve made about his record as Governor of Arkansas.

We apologize for pointing out that as Governor of Arkansas, Huckabee offered in-state tuition to illegal immigrants. That’s something he’d probably just as soon no one talk about.

A recent Washington Post-ABC News Iowa poll of Iowans likely to vote in the Republican caucus stated illegal immigration as their top issue of concern, tied with the war in Iraq.

We apologize for pointing out that in 2002 Huckabee wrote Pres. Bush a letter asking him to lift the Cuban embargo. It’s easy to see how Huckabee might have missed the finer points of a 40-year embargo. While he obviously knew enough about the embargo to ask that it be lifted, Huckabee clearly didn’t know enough to ask that it not be lifted. So for that, we’re sorry.

In 2002, Governor Huckabee strongly advocated lifting the embargo against Cuba saying it “harm[s] our own agricultural and business interests,” “has not helped the people of Cuba” and has “provided Castro with a convenient excuse for his own failed system of government.” (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 3/29/02)

Do read the whole thing.

And while we’re at it — Brenda Lee, I’m Sorry.

The King of song parodies (that get stuck in your head all day), Don Surber, linked from his look at the steroid “helpers”. Thanks.