THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

Barack Obama went on the O’Reilly factor for an extensive interview with Bill O’Reilly.

I saved this column for Saturday, because I do not consider anything involving Barack Obama at this time to be hard news. If he ever offers an actual policy proposal that is achievable, I will reassess the situation.

Make no mistake about it. Obama did not do this interview because he gave his word and said he would. He did it because his icy cool veneer is gone. Sarah Palin is the new hot (boy is she ever) ticket in town, and Barack is running scared. He should be.

Nevertheless, I credit him for going on. Motives are irrelevant, and are opinion at best. My column is an admitted opinion column, so I am allowed offer it. The accusation against Obama is that he is an empty suit, bereft of substance. Going on O’Reilly and answering tough questions only makes him look better if he does well.

In addition to Bill O’Reilly, Obama went on David Letterman on September 10th. While I disagree with his politics, Letterman was brilliant after 9/11. His first show back on September 17th, 2001, was instrumental in helping America see laughter through the tears.

(I also like when he interviews Martha Stewart)

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http://www.themarthablog.com/2008/09/how-to-create-your-own-blog-let-us-show-you.html

After talking about the campaign, the discussion turned to 9/11.

Letterman referred to Rudy Giuliani as “our savior.” He pointed out that now issues such as terrorism were things Obama had to think about. He asked Obama what he would have done after 9/11? Obama is an expert armchair quarterback, and this was a nice softball lobbed over the plate.

Obama praised Giuliani for keeping calm and clear. He also stated that George W. Bush did the right thing going after the Taliban, and that he would have done exactly the same thing President Bush did. Where they diverged is on Iraq, which Obama continues to see as a distraction rather than a focal point.

Obama then criticized President Bush after 9/11 for telling people “to shop.” That advice was right then, and it was right now. He said a lot more, but Obama is running for President, and it is easier to criticize another than tout actual accomplishments of oneself, especially when those accomplishments are mythical. Obama then went into his stump speech.

Letterman then asked another softball about whether Obama, who was not in Washington at the time, thought that Washington was in chaos after 9/11.

Obama deftly handled this one, calling 9/11 a “shock to the system.” He specifically said that his interest “was not playing Monday Morning Quarterback.” It was a smart answer. He then went back to the stump speech about how “we have not taken steps since then to make us safer.” He is wrong, but he has his opinion and I have mine.

Letterman asked exactly what focusing on Afghanistan actually means.

Obama spoke of stopping narcotics trafficking, regarding the poppy fields. Then he went into criticizing former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. This is an area where Obama is completely wrong. He speaks calmly and rationally, but that does not make his analysis intelligent or reasonable.

Letterman did not challenge Obama, but then again, his show is comedy, not hard news. The discussion turned to Obama taking his children to Disneyland, effectively ending what little substance the interview had. After going on O’Reilly, speaking with Letterman must have been sheer joy.

Obama did show graciousness by praising President Bush for working hard on trying to cure AIDS in Africa. Obama readily acknowledged that President Bush promised to spend the money, and followed through.

The interview ended on a genuinely funny note. Obama spoke of how understated his 87 year old grandmother is. When he told her that he won the nomination, she replied, “That’s nice.” Letterman then asked if Obama was “nervous that she might vote for somebody closer to her own age.” Obama laughed and remarked that just to be safe, he “was sending her out to all the local bridge clubs.”

Letterman was fun. O’Reilly was business.

As for O’Reilly, some will say that O’Reilly is a partisan, but that argument does not wash. If O’Reilly beats him up, the backlash would generate sympathy for Obama anyway. Therefore it benefits both men for O’Reilly to ask tough and fair questions.

When asked if we were in a War on Terror, Obama replied in the affirmative. When asked who the enemy was, he immediately cited Al Queda and the Taliban. The answer was perfect, and I wondered why Obama didn’t simply say that months and months ago.

He stated that Iran was a “major threat,” but then simply mentioned that Saddam and Al Queda were unrelated, which had nothing to do with the question.

He said that it is “unacceptable” for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, which would be a “game changer.” He simply could not muster stronger words.

He stated that even mentioning the possible use of force would be “tipping our hand.”

It is moment like these that make me say that Barack Obama is well intentioned, but wrong. He is timid, and adverse to hard power.

He mentioned that during the Bush years, we were not “working as closely as possible with the Europeans.”

O’Reilly then made an excellent point. “We could ratchet up whatever we are going to ratchet, and then Obama will say, ‘Blank you, we will do whatever we want.'”

O’Reilly tried to get Obama to admit that the surge worked. Obama is very clever, and delivered a new line.

“The surge has succeeded in ways that nobody anticipated, including President Buish and the other supporters.”

This is incredulous. It went better than even those who believed in it from the
beginning, and yet he is right? Now that is brazen.

O’Reilly refused to let Obama off the hook on this one.

“If it had been up to you and Joe Biden there would have been no surge.”

Obama then blamed President Bush for pre-surge problems.

He then said, “We reduced the violence, but Iraqis still haven’t taken responsibility.”

This is absolutely false. Yes, they have. Political reconciliation absolutely is taking place.

At this point O’Reilly shifted to Afghanistan, and forcefully told Obama, “You’re not going to send ground troops into Pakistan Senator. You know it.”

Obama spoke about cutting off aid to Pakistan. O’Reilly pointed out that this would let Islamic fundamentalists taking over. Obama blamed Pervez Musharraf.

Obama then pointed out that if he had Osama Bin Laden in his sights, he would be taken out, at which point O’Reilly mentioned that anybody would do that.

O’Reilly was pushing hard, but Obama pushed back. He is totally unprepared to lead America, but he was prepared for this interview.

Barack Obama simply cannot bring himself to admit he was wrong about the surge. If Obama was in power instead of George W. Bush, Saddam Hussein would still be in power. A vote against the Iraq War was a vote not to remove Saddam. Barack Obama was wrong.

The conversation then turned to the economy and taxes.

When confronted with the fact that the Bush economy was better than the Clinton economy, Obama simply claimed the statistics were lies. O’Reilly blamed illegal immigration for depressing wages, and Obama disagreed. O’Reilly claimed that Obama was playing class warfare. On payroll taxes, Obama refused to say that there was a cap. Obama used the words “progressive income tax.” O’Reilly called it wealth redistribution and socialism. O’Reilly called him “Robin Hood Obama.”

Obama disputed that the debt increase had anything to do with the War on Terror. He blamed the Bush tax cuts. Obama called the wealth redistribution “neighborliness.” He also claimed that it was not a “prohibitive rate.”

The discussion then turned to the various associations that have tarred the Obama campaign.

As O’Reilly ticked off the names, Obama seemed angry, but the man does not lose his cool.

Obama stated that he went to church to “worship God, not a pastor.” He then insisted that he never heard Pastor Wright’s comments, despite attending church twice a month.

Obama did accuse O’Reilly of hyping Ayers, and mentioned that Ayers was 40 years ago. O’Reilly pointed out that Ayers made offensive statements a week ago.

They sparred over an education bill that AYers and Obama worked on.

Obama cleverly pointed out that Bill O’Reilly should not be blamed for the other bad things said on Fox News, with Sean Hannity being specifically mentioned. This was the way of deflecting Obama’s showing up at the Daily Kos convention.

O’Reilly asked Obama to name one friend on the far right he had, and Obama could not name one. For some reason, O’Reilly apologized for asking what was a fair question. O’Reilly apologized twice in this segment, for reasons that made no sense.

The conversation then turned to oil and alternative energy. It was at this point in the debate, and it was a debate, that Obama made his best point. When O’Reilly asked the legitimate question of whether or not wind, solar, and other alternative ideas for energy were a potential waste of money, Obama brought up JFK and the space program. The point was fair. JFK did not know that this would work. He believed it was worth the expenditure. I personally believe that some proposed alternative energy expenditures are a waste, but Obama handled the issue well.

“Discovery and research and innovation involves putting money in a pot and seeing…it’s like venture capital.”

That was a clever line. It takes a greeniac agenda and tries to make it sound palatable to Wall Street.

O’Reilly tried to pin Obama down on his opposition to nuclear power, and Obama stunned me by saying he would agree to build nuclear power plants. This is a major policy shift, and a flip flip if he backtracks.

Yet Obama would not shift his position on drilling in ANWR. Yet he again said the following:

“This notion that I am against nuclear power is just not true.”

It has been for the entire campaign. This should be the defining comments of the interview because it is a major philosophical pronouncement.

Also, the tone between the two me was very friendly during this exchange. Obama was jovial, and O’Reilly was more subdued. O’Reilly asked for specifics, in terms of how many plants Obama would build, and Obama promised to send him his plan, and discuss it in a subsequent interview on the show.

When O’Reilly turned to foreign policy, he asked Obama an interesting question.

“Why won’t the Germnans fight in Afghanistan?”

Obama naturally blamed George W. Bush for “souring our relationship with the Europeans.”

O’Reilly asked if Obama would wave a magic wand and make everybody like us. Obama reinforced his commitment to diplomacy.

When asked about the U.S. missile shield in Poland that is antagonizing Russia, Obama would not give a clear answer.

“I believe the missile shield is appropriate, but I want to make sure it works.”

That is a typical weaselly, mealy mouthed answer. He would not say if he would keep it or not, and the notion that we would support a defective shield is garbage. If the shield works, what would Obama do? Only he knows, perhaps.

Obama pointed out “two areas where we can have leverage over Russia. Commercially, Russia is tied to Europe. , and the Russian stock market has plummeted since the Georgia invasion.”

When O’Reilly shot back, “Putin doesn’t care,” Obama had a flawless answer.

He pointed out that, “There are some billionaires in Russia that do care.”

Obama came across as very cerebral, and I wish he could understand U.S. economics with such depth.

O’Reilly ended the interview with a softball about basketball. Yes, I mixed sports on that one.

The interview was fair, and Obama did reasonably well enough. He finished very strong in the last segment.

He was dreadful at the Saddleback Forum with Rick Warren. He was fantastic when he spoke to America in 2004. This was not his best or worst, but it was good enough. He should do more of these forums. It shows that he can enter an area where he will not be fawned over, which again lends credibility to his comments.

eric

At the 2008 Republican Convention in Minnesota, I had the honor and privilege of seeing Pete Hegseth, the National Chair of Vets For Freedom.

http://www.vetsforfreedom.org/

I originally met Pete Hegseth earlier in 2008 in San Francisco at an event put on by the Republican Jewish Coalition.

I have either met or spoken to several members of the Vets For Freedom organization, including Jeremy Christiansen, Jason Meszaros, and Nathan Martin.

I interviewed several of these men including Pete Hegseth on the radio several weeks ago. Pete Hegseth was on his way to Iraq to assess the recent progress of the surge.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/TheGGRNetwork

https://tygrrrrexpress.com/2008/08/vets-for-freedom-back-to-iraq/

https://tygrrrrexpress.com/2008/09/vets-for-freedom-my-interview-with-jason-meszaros/

When I saw him on September 3rd, 2008, he had just returned from Iraq several days earlier.

Many people have opinions about Iraq. They develop those opinions from various “sources,’ such as third rate newspapers.

I get my information from men like Pete Hegseth, who were just there.

These young men are not politicians. They are soldiers. If they look me in the eye and tell me we are losing, I will report that. We are winning, as of last week.

With that, below is my most recent interview with Pete Hegseth.

1) Pete, what did you see?

PH: It was an incredible experience. I went back to Samarrah, where I was in 2006. In 2006 it was a different situation. Not a single shot was fired while I was there in 2008. I did not even wear a helmet. I walked around in a baseball cap.

I stood above the Golden Mosque and watched them rebuild. A couple of years ago that would not have been a place to stand. If I was a sniper, that would be an area I would target people. Now I am able to stand on top and watch the rebuilding.

For 30 minutes I was completely exposed. My only security was the people who had turned on Al Queda. They are now empowered, not intimidated.

There was a classic counterinsurgency in this city.

I actually sat across from and had drinks with a guy that had previously been on a high value target list. He is now on the Samarrah Rescue Council. He told me that in 2006, he was probably shooting at me and trying to kill me. I told him that in 2006 I was probably shooting at him trying to kill him. We laughed. He is now part of the government.

2) Are the gains sustainable?

PH: The gains made could be lost. We are winning, but it would premature to declare total victory. Those that want to declare victory and bring troops home now could reverse the gains. A premature withdrawal followed by a dismantling of the Sons of Iraq would be a major mistake.

3) How would you like to be remembered 100 years from now? What would you want people to say about Pete Hegseth the person?

PH: I would like to be remembered as someone who played a small role in making the United States of America safe. I was one small part of generations of AMericans, military and civilian, to help make America great.

One of the things that Pete Hegseth and other military leaders have stressed to me is that looking forward is what matters. I have met many soldiers, and in general they do not deal with politics. They will not tell me who they are voting for, and I do not ask. All they ask is that they be given the support of the American people. They define support as supporting their missions.

They do not armchair quarterback and ask what we should have done in the beginning, or whether we should have even gone into Iraq. They role up their sleeves in 100 degree heat, understand that we are there now, and do whatever it takes to get the job done, and get it done right.

There is universal widespread praise for General David Petraeus. He understood that insurgenices are about people.

As Pete Hegseth pointed out to me, we could have killed that one man in 2006. Another one may have taken his place. Yes, in war, you have to shoot to kill, but General Petraeus, who literally wrote the book on counterinsurgency, managed to flip the people away from Al Queda onto our side. Al Queda’s overreaching helped us, but the Iraqi people needed to see that we could be trusted. We gave our word, and we kept it. This is why a former enemy could share drinks with a Vet For Freedom as a co-fighter.

The surged worked. We are winning.

Thank you Mr. Hegseth. Thanks to you, the Vets For Freedom, and Veterans everywhere.

Thank you very much.

eric

Rather than talk about 9/11 from my own perspective, I want to bring you an interview with somebody who was in the building.

On September 11th, 2001, one of the worst days in American history occurred, and I thank God that my friend Kevin survived.

Kevin had recently graduated from the University of Southern California, and worked as a trainee at my firm. I was a 29 year old manager that was attending USC’s MBA program at night. In my spare time I was a DJ on the campus radio station.

On Saturday, September 11th, 2004, Kevin and his fiancee were on campus for a football game. The USC Trojans were back to back national champions, and looking to win it three straight years. Kevin stopped by the campus radio station, where I interviewed him about that day three years ago.

Below is the transcript of the interview.

Eric: Three years ago I was working at a company in Burbank. We had a rookie trainee, 22 years old, stars in his eyes. The company ships him out to New York for some training. He was in the second tower, and got out with very little time to spare. His story is a harrowing one, but also life affirming. So Kevin, I am just going to turn it over to you. Tell us your story. What was that day like? How did the day start? Take us through that day.

Kevin: Thank you Eric. Taking me back, three years ago from today it’s amazing that we were at a training class of 300 people that were starting at the World Trade Center starting on Monday, September 10th. You couldn’t believe the view from the 61st floor as we met as a group, and we were so excited about our two month stay at the World Trade Center for our training program. September 11th started out as beautiful as the day before. We got to the building, went up to our floor, and went to the training program.

About an hour into the program, we were dismissed for a 20 minute break. It was during that break that the North Tower was struck by the first plane. We were actually able to see the fire. Still on break, I went over to this conference room, and saw that the North Tower was on fire. Here I was, standing there, like I had concrete shoes, because I couldn’t move. Yet I had to move because I had to warn the other people in my training class. So I ran over to the lobby area on my floor 61 and everybody was already evacuating. So I did like everybody else and joined the crowd and started down the stairs. We got down to about floor 55 when somebody came on the loudspeaker and said that an unidentified plane had struck the North Tower but that the South Tower was secure.

There was a discrepancy with the news media because reports came out that we were told everything was fine and we should go back to our office, but the speaker over the loudspeaker never said that. All he said was that we should, “remain calm, do not panic,” and people took that as “go back to our office.”

Well I stayed right there and felt like I was safer in the stairwell, and within 30 seconds the second plane hit the South Tower as we all saw on tv and all I could remember was that it was a huge jolt, a violent collision. The stairwells cracked, and we knew that something terrible had happened. We continued our descent rather down 55 more flights of stairs and got to the bottom, and as we got outside, we looked up at the towers, and both of them were on fire, in flames. For me, it was just a sense that this was probably not the best area to be around, so I tried to get as far away as I could. I got about 10 blocks away, and that’s when my tower, Tower 2, collapsed, about 20 minutes after I had gotten out of the building.

It was such an eerie thing, hearing the people screaming on the bottom of the streets, and you could hear the rumble of the towers collapse, and I thought, how many people had died. Soon after, the North Tower fell. It wasn’t until I was able to connect with my family that I felt some sense of strength. Especially with me being from California, I had no direction, nowhere to go. Looking back, it’s hard to believe that 3 years ago, 300 people from all over, our second day of training, that all of us were able to get out alive.

Eric: 20 minutes must seem to you like a lifetime now, but it was that soon after you had gotten out that the building collapsed.

Kevin: Absolutely. Everybody was wondering what had happened. We didn’t know if it was a bomb or a plane. Soon after the buildings were crumbling down. To think that as I was going down the stairs I watched 30 fireman go into the building. I thought afterwards that I don’t think they made it out. Those faces will always be etched in my mind.

Eric: I remember being in a cushy office in Burbank thinking it was going to be like any other day. When the towers got hit, the first thing I thought of was my family. I was born and raised in New York. Everybody was there. The second thing that occurred to me was that our firm had offices in that building, and I knew that you were in that building.

Now my job usually consisted of bureaucratic jobs like helping people figure out their paycheck, dealing with certain complaints. I’ll never forget the phone call I got from your father asking me, “Where’s my son?” There’s no amount of manager training that’s going to prepare you for a situation like that. The one thing your father told me on the phone was that he was not that close to you at the time.

Kevin: Right.

Eric: He was worried that he would never get a chance to tell you so many things that fathers tell their sons.

Kevin: Right.

Eric: He must have stayed on hold for 3 hours and I must have dialed a million numbers, and…I’d like you to just talk about your father, what that phone call was like, and how that relationship has been since.

Kevin: Well you’re right Eric, at the firm in Burbank, when you took that call, my dad and I had kind of lost touch for a few years for whatever reason. He had this sense on 9/11, I had mentioned in passing that I would be going out to New York for training, never told him when, never told him what day, never told him it was going to be at the World Trade Center, and he had this feeling as he saw it on tv, he had this feeling that I was there, and he made this call to the Burbank office.

It was then that he had called me in New York soon after I had spoken to you. We had this powerful phone conversation. He was in LA, I was in New York, on the phone, and we have…we’ve fostered a better relationship since then, and it’s been neat that we could look back. It’s unfortunate that it had to take something like this, but since then, our relationship has been great ever since that day.

Eric: One person who is in the studio today is your fiancee (now wife) Elena. I remember being on the phone with her and she was equally worried obviously. Elena, you being 3000 miles away….First of all, let me say, it’s good that after all this time you are both still a happy couple because a lot of couples could not handle the stress of that day. I would like you to talk about that day as somebody who was here in LA, but had a direct emotional connection to Kevin. What was that day like, and how have the days been since as you plan your wedding?

Elena: Well, that definitely was the most difficult day I have ever experienced. We didn’t know if Kevin was ok, and I automatically…we hoped for the best, but didn’t know if he was going to make it out. Like you, we made a million calls to the hotel, we both have family in the East Coast, in Boston. We prepped them up, told them to get in their cars and drive towards New York. We weren’t sure if Kevin would be in a hospital. Luckily Kevin was able to contact us 2 hours later. I then came to your office to tell you he was ok, and that was when I met you.

Since then, it has definitely made Kevin and I both kind of look at our lives differently. Every day is a day we should appreciate, and we appreciate each other, and our families, and our faith. We are excited about planning our wedding, and yeah, it was something tough to get through.

Eric: When is the wedding?

Elena: April 23rd.

Eric: Fantastic. I want to ask you Kevin, how tough was it for you to go back to work and go back in the office when you came back? Here you’ve almost been killed. You’re a rookie at the firm, and rookies in our industry, they eat dirt. They don’t get paid a decent salary. So you have to build a business from scratch. How are you able to just go to work?

Kevin: Well Eric, I think, when I got back to Burbank, I felt this overwhelming sense of purpose. I felt I was given a second chance. I was so happy with how the firm treated me as a survivor from that disaster, they really did all they could to help me build the business. I teamed up with some partners in the Burbank office, and that really was a great decision for me. 3 years later the business is strong, and healthy, and I really have learned a lot in that time. I am really happy with where I am at. I am happier to be marrying Elena, sitting next to me. She has been such an incredible force for me, she really is my best friend. That is going to help us as we get married. That will help my business, and we will be so happy together. Things are working out.

Eric: What did you do after you got to safety, after you got to the hotel? What did you do? Did you watch the news? What was going through your mind? How did you get through the next few hours just dealing with an incomprehensible situation?

Kevin: After the streets, and the smoke, and the debris, and the dust settled, we all got back to the hotel and met in the lobby. It was an incredible experience because every time a member of our group walked in we all cheered. We all had to sign in and they would then send a wire to our branches to let them know that I had checked in. Then we went immediately to the bar.

(laughter)

We were in the bar, watching CNN, and really just hung out as colleagues, hugged each other, embraced each other, cried with each other, and we actually that night were missing 20 trainees. They never checked in. Like anybody would, we thought the worst, that these people died in the tower. I had said before that everybody made it out.

There is actually one funny story. Most of the people, some lived in New York and New Jersey, they just went home. They never checked out, they just went home to their families. They were accounted for. One guy, a funny story, he exited the World Trade Center that morning, found the nearest taxicab, said, ‘take me to North Carolina.’

(laughter)

The cabbie just drove him to North Carolina. So that guy was unaccounted for for a few days, but eventually he did…he was fine. He put the cabbie up for a night or two.

(more laughter)

The guy then went back to New York City.

So, it’s just amazing that all these people from all walks of life, we all came back, we all made it out. Our company actually lost 7 people out of 5000. We were the largest tenant in the South Tower, and it’s amazing that so many were saved.

Eric: Given that you were not from New York, and that was your first experience, what was your impression of New Yorkers throughout that whole tragedy? How did you find them as human beings?

Kevin: Well you know, going out there, everyone said that the typical New Yorker is brash, and abusive, and all this stuff…and I’ll tell you, those people, when the chips are down, those people are at their best. I don’t know how I would have gotten back to my hotel if it wasn’t for the New York people telling me which Shelbourne was, to go left, to go right, and extending helping hands to me as I traveled from the World Trade Center ruins up to my hotel which was actually 50 blocks North from the Towers. I had this overwhelming feeling that this group of people, that these people were united. What a great sense of unity amid so much tragedy that these people were there to help me.

Some guy from Burbank, from LA, and they extended a helping hand. They were tough, and they really were willing to help me, and that is something I will never forget. Elena and I have actually talked about going back to New York for the gorundbreaking of the New Tower, and it would be great for us to be there, and see all the strides that the city has made. I have nothing but great things to say about the New York people.

Eric: What is your faith in terms of your relationship with God before and after the tragedy? Did something like this reaffirm your faith, did it shake your faith, was there no change? Have you felt any spiritual connections since that day and those events?

Kevin: Well, obviously during the attacks, I remember going down those stairs and praying to God that we would all be saved. I mean there was a moment there when I was on the 55th floor, the 50th floor, the 40th floor, when I felt I was never going to get out of there. We knew that the building got hit pretty hard by the cracks in the walls and everything else, so yeah, I prayed, and said ‘Please, it’s not my time. I don’t want to go. There is so much more I have to do.’ As I got out of the tower and I knew I was safe there was still this sense that you know, was there another building that was going to be hit? I remember walking up the streets and thinking that maybe another building was going to be hit by an airplane, and was I safe at that point? Looking back 3 years later I think my faith is stronger. It’s hard not to think about getting a second chance, that it wasn’t my time. I think, gosh, I was on 55, and that plane hit on around 79 or 80, 20+ floors below, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here today. I have a lot to be thankful for. Elena and I are so blessed. I think our faith is so much stronger since that day.

Eric: I can tell you that I issued a meaningless proclamation in our office that day. Because I knew that there was no teeth to it. Whenever somebody in my family would get sick, my grandfather would say, ‘Nobody is dying in this family.’ He will take care of it. Somebody in the family gets cancer, something will happen to take care of it. He finally died when he felt that everybody in the family could take care of themselves.

I remember in our office when one of the sales assistants was thinking the worst, I said to her, I must have snapped at her, ‘Nobody is dying in this office. Not in my office.’ Now I’m aware that there was nothing I could do about it, but I kept telling everybody ‘Not today. Nobody in this office is dying.’ I remember when we got the news, I went over the loudspeaker and announced that you were alive. People were high-fiving, they were hugging, because we realized that even though that there was going to be a lot of pain and suffering, and there was going to be plenty of time for that, ‘Not in our family.’

Kevin: Right.

Eric: You were a member of our family. You were a new member, and it was good to know that you were ok.

One thing that I really like to ask you is how do you feel in terms of justice? Do you seek vengeance, do you have hatred in your heart towards the people who did this, do you feel that maybe there is something the United States did, are we too arrogant a country? Did we do anything at all to deserve what happened or was this just evil at its worst? Expand on that if you can.

Kevin: Well Eric, I’ve said many times, initially after the attacks, the anger was very obvious. I remember my cousin Lincoln and I were out in Boston because I actually took a train to Boston after the attacks and stayed with family for 5 days. We wanted to sign up and join the military. We obviously after a couple of beers had this epiphany that we wer egoing to be these soldiers that were going out to fight this war that we thought was justified.

You know, I think that I can’t believe that human beings would do this to other human beings. You know, whether it’s the West vs the East, or us vs them, I’m not sure about that, but all I can say is, God loving people I don’t think seek harm to other people. This was obviously a blatant attack on human lives. That’s the part I don’t understand and makes me angry, and how would people want to inflict such harm on other people.

Our course of action has been very strong, and I think it needed to be strong. I fully support our President, I think it’s justified, and we need to protect ourselves here on our own country’s soil. The ultimate idea is how human beings could do this to other human beings, that is the issue I think.

Eric: Now 3 years since this tragedy, on the anniversary of this tragedy, you are going to be doing what any normal person, what any decent person should be doing today. You are not only going to be going to a football game, but a USC football game.

(laughter)

So, is today completely normal for you, or in the back, little down deep, is it not?

Kevin: Well you know I think that I couldn’t imagine anything else better than being at a sold out 92,000 plus USC football game at the Coliseum on 9/11, especially 3 years after the anniversary, and yes, I have had many phone calls this morning from friends and family, and Eric, I want to thank you for the opportunity to be here. It was great to hear your voice yesterday. I think that is what is special for me, connecting with my loved ones on this day. They will always remember how it felt, and how worried they were for me, and I’ll always remember connecting with them and saying that I was ok. That will always be what this day reminds me of. It’ll be great to see…to be with my friends here at the game, and also think what a great country we have. So it’s a special day for us. It’s also great that we’re here with all the other USC fans as well.

(laughter)

Eric: What would make the perfect day for you one year from today? What would make September 11th, 2005, a fabulous day?

Kevin: While I think, a couple things. If there is another USC game a year from now, that would be fine.

(laughter)

I’m ok with that. Like I said before, if Elena and I can get back to New York, and if it’s on the 4 year anniversary, that would be awesome. Just to think back 4 years from that day that what a tragic experience, and yet here we are, 4 years later, married, doing so well, and that’s something that we’ll always remember.

Either being in New York or being with other USC Trojan fans I think would be a great thing for us.

Eric: Well, I can’t thank you enough Kevin. You’ve been very generous with your time. We can continue on if you’d like to, if you have other places you need to be we can bring it short. I have a million questions I could ask you, but I want to make sure I am not taking it out of your tailgating time because I know how important that is.

(laughter)

Kevin: Well I know that my cellphone keeps ringing so we probably have to get back to the tailgate. I do want to thank you for having us here. It was a wonderful time. It was great to see you as well. Again Eric, my family speaks highly of you and how you handled that situation that day. They all called the office and said, ‘Eric took care of it.’ So I wanted to thank you again.

Eric: Well I paid them handsomly to say that.

(laughter)

All I can say is that it’s impossible for me to think of September 11th without thinking of you, and even though you and I probably hadn’t talked in 11 months and 29 days…

Kevin: Sure.

Eric: September 9th and 10th rolls around, and I’m calling your office what seems like every 4 hours, desperate to get a hold of you…

Kevin: Absolutely.

Eric: Now that we’ve got this archived on cassette, and soon on CD, from now on, the world is going to hear your story.

Kevin: Absolutely.

Eric: I just want to say that on a day like this when we think of so many tragedies, and I don’t want to minimize the tragedies, because we have had Spain on 3/11, we’ve had Russian schoolchildren..there is a positive message that I think comes out of it. Correct me if I am wrong, but that positive message is that we are stronger than they are.

Kevin: Right.

Eric: We are tougher than they are. The fact that you are here, that you are able to talk about it, and the fact that you’re able to go to a game and you’re able to laugh and joke, that you’re not having nightmares every night…is it fair to say that even though they won that battle that day that we’ve won the war of civilization?

Kevin: I think so because I think I’ll never forget the picture of the firemen that were in the rubble that held up the American flag. There was 3 of them that day, that even though there was burning building behind them, they realized that our country is going to continue and go on. I think that is what the terrorists didn’t realize. Our buildings might have been knocked down, and people died, but this country is so strong and our people are so united, and so that will never change. I think that if this was a wake up call for a lot of people to say, ‘We need to look at ourselves and look at the world and make sure that we are unified, and really unified for the causes of freedom.

Eric: Kevin, one of the reasons this country is so strong is because it has got people like you. I appreciate you taking the time to tell your story. Thank you very much.

Elena: Thanks Eric.

Kevin: Thanks Eric.

Eric: Be well and God Bless.

Kevin is now a successful stockbroker and a happily married man. Most years I still go about 11 months and 29 days without calling him. Then 9/11 rolls around, and he dominates my thoughts. Neither he or I will ever forget that day.

Rather than end today on a heavy note, I will say that my way of healing is by flying.

On September 11th, 2005, I broadcast my final radio show on the USC Campus.

I then vowed to fly every 9/11. It was my way of fighting back.

On September 11th, 2006, I flew from Los Angeles to Oakland to sit 50 yard line, front row, as the San Diego Chargers took on the Oakland Raiders on Monday Night Football. It was the first week of the season, and the jets flew on high and proud before the game.

On March 11th, 2007, the 3 year anniversary of the Madrid bombing and the exact midpoint from 9/11, I began blogging.

On September 11th, 2007, I was in Chicago on Business. I flew that morning to New York. It was the first time since 2001 that 9/11 fell on a Tuesday. I made my way to 6 Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey for Sean Hannity’s Freedom Concert featuring Lee Greenwood. The audience used their cellphones to light up the night sky during the song, “God Bless the U.S.A.”

On September 11th, 2008, I have a flight from Los Angeles to Chicago. 9/11 is a day to hug your loved ones, and the love of my life, the Chicago Cannonball, will have a warm greeting for me.

Hug your loved ones, and get on a plane. When we fly, we win.

Below are the lyrics to “Permanent Flame,” the song I wrote on July 30th, 2006. It is dedicated to those we lost on United Flight 93.

Permanent Flame–In memory of the United 93 Heroest

7/30/6 PERMANENT FLAME

Chorus: NEVER FORGOTTEN…PERMANENT FLAME

NO LONGER HERE, BUT YOU’LL ALWAYS REMAIN

3000 GONE…BUT NEVER IN VAIN

HONOR THEIR MEMORY…TAKE BACK THE PLANE

1a) September 11^th, 2001

Started so normal, ended so wrong

American airplanes, turned into guns

Fired on our towers, that stood proud and strong

1b) Black clouds from New York…to the Pentagon

60 years after 1941

American steel…will never yield

Look at the hole, in the Pennsylvania field

1c) Beamer and company, saw America attacked

Our Capitol saved, because they fought back

Ordinary people…scared but so bold

Rose to the challenge…told the world “let’s roll”

Chorus

2a) Some blamed the US, but nothing we did

Justified the murder, of innocent kids

Since then we’ve had Bali, London and Madrid

We try to save the world, across the global grid

2b) 2002…Afghanistan

Liberated a nation, routed the Taliban

2003…war in Iraq

Saddam in jail…democracy on track

2c) September 11^th, 2004

36 months, since the start of the war

Less people airborne, scared to the core

What can we do…we must do more

Chorus

3a) An ordinary man…I see in the mirror

But now I understand…the picture is clearer

Only total victory…in the war on terror

Will make America…for all our children better

3b) Our soldiers fight…because the cause is right

So our children are safe…when tucked in at night

Donate your dollars to police…and those who firefight

Money left over…go book that flight

Chorus

4a) September 11^th, 2006

Chargers vs Raiders…I got my tix

From LAX…TO OAK

Don’t worry mom and dad, I’ll be ok

4b) I need to do this, it helps heal the pain

I’ll get home safely, so don’t be afraid

I’m only one link in an American chain

If others join me, we can take back the plane

4c) So call up United, Delta and Southwest

Show all the world our American best

Take back our freedom…take back the sky

For our fallen heroes…American Eagles let’s fly

Chorus (2x)

May God Bless the USA…again…Let’s roll.

September 11th…2007

En route to New York…I point to the Heavens

The war we will win…and evil we’ll sever

September 11th, 2000-Forever

America Forever!

A peaceful September 11th to you all. God Bless America.

eric

One day before 9/11, the only leader that comes to my mind is former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

One year ago, on Tuesday, 9/11, 2007, Rudy Giuliani gave a rousing speech at Sean Hannity’s 9/11 Freedom Concert in New York. Actually it was at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, but that counts as New York. I backed him for President, and hope he is given serious candidate for Attorney General or Secretary of Defense in a John McCain administration.

https://tygrrrrexpress.com/2007/03/why-rudy-is-right/

I met him a couple weeks later, and was thrilled to see and hear a true leader.

https://tygrrrrexpress.com/2007/10/my-meeting-rudy-giuliani/

Several weeks later he gave a phenomenal presentation at the Republican Jewish Coalition 2008 Candidates Forum.

https://tygrrrrexpress.com/2007/10/rjc-in-dc-rudy-giuliani/

His speech at the 2004 Republican Convention was an A+.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,130670,00.html

He was just as fabulous in 2008.

Rudy Giuliani came out fighting, and decked the democrats right across their Kumbaya singing, surrender loving faces.

“People decide the President, not the left wing media or Hollywood celebrities.”

“If two men were applying for a job, I would look at their resumes. So let’s compare their resumes and qualifications for the job.”

“One has dedicated his life to service of the United States. Everyone acknowledges that John McCain is a hero.”

“He loves America as we
all do. He has sacrificed for America as few do.”

“He has proved his commitment with his blood. He earned a life of peace and preservation. Instead, he went into public service.”

“The other applicant is a gifted man with an Ivy League education.”

“He worked as a community organizer. That is the first problem on the resume.”

“He is immersed in Chicago machine politics.”

“Nearly 130 times, he voted ‘present.’ He couldn’t make a decision. It was too tough.”

“I didn’t know about voting present as the Mayor of New York City. Executives can’t vote present. It isn’t good enough. You have to make decisions.”

“He is a celebrity Senator. His rise can only happen in the United States of America.”

“He has never run a city. He has never run a state. He has never run a business. He has never run anything. He has never led. Nothing! Nada!”

“Substance is more important than style. This is no time for on the job training. We agree with Joe Biden this one time until he flip flopped on this one as well.”

“Nothing nature throws or that terrorists bring will rattle John McCain. We and our children and our country will be safe in the hands of John McCain.”

“The other side believes that if you don’t like the facts, just change them.”

“Change is not a destination, and hope is not a strategy.”

“In four days in Denver, the democrats did not one time say the words Islamic terrorism. Are they afraid to insult terrorists? They rarely mentioned 9/11. They are living in a state of denial. If you deny a problem, and then don’t deal with a problem, then you can’t face the problem.”

“McCain can face the problem and win, and bring victory.”

“When the democratic party gave up on Iraq, they gave up on America.”

“They said that the war is lost. Lost? If America lost, who won? Al Queda and Osama Bin Laden won.”

“On the single biggest issue, John McCain got it right, and Barack Obama got it wrong.”

“As for change, how many times did we see Barack Obama change? On public financing, he said he would participate and then broke his word and opted out. On wiretapping he changed his position. He said he was in favor of an undivided Jerusalem, and the very next day changed his position. If I were Joe Biden, I would get the VP thing in writing.”

“John McCain said that we are all Georgians. Barack Obama began by creating a moral equivalancy between Georgia and Russia, the same way he created a moral equivalancy between the Palestinian Authority and the State of Israel. After discussing the issue with his 300 advisers, he then turned to the U.N. Security Council for a solution. None of his advisers told him that Russia has a U.N. veto. He then changed his position to the position of John McCain. I have advice for Obama…Next time, just call John McCain.”

“Sarah Palin is the future. McCain looked forward. Obama reached back to the past.”

“Sarah Palin has more executive experience than the entire democratic ticket.”

“Wasilla, Alaska, is not cosmopolitan. It is not flashy enough. Maybe they cling to religion.”

“On Palin’s first day as Mayor she had more experience than Obama.”

“How dare they question whether Palin has time to be VP and spend time with her children.”

“We are the party that gives workers the right to work, and parents the right to choose their schools for their children.”

As 9/10 of 2008 turns into another 9/11, I mourn the loss of my fellow New Yorkers. I thank almighty God that some men such as George W. Bush, John McCain, and Rudy Giuliani are actually willing to do something about making sure that those that committed this act, financed this act, or contributed to worldwide terrorism in any way, are brought to justice.

For those that are not still enraged, go look at the hole in the ground. I will see it again in a couple weeks, and well up with anger.

This is the world we live in. Violent Radical Islamofacism is the beiggest threat that faces the world today. Nothing comes a close second.

It must be eradicated, one murderous zealot at a time.

Nothing less is acceptable.

Rudy Giuliani understands this.

His speech may hurt the feelings of some people.

Those people mean nothing to me. I want their feelings hurt.

One thing has not changed. Rudy Giuliani remains right.

eric

I had the pleasure of meeting Senator Fred Thompson at the 2008 Republican Convention in Minneapolis. He was speaking at a blogger brunch. Later that evening he gave a stemwinder for John McCain that would have made Zell Miller proud.

I first met Fred Thompson in October of 2007 at the Republican Jewish Coalition 2008 Candidates Forum.

https://tygrrrrexpress.com/2007/10/rjc-in-dc-fred-thompson/

I asked him a tough question, and his answer was brilliant. I then took a picture with him and his wife.

Although I was not an original Fred head, I absolutely respected him as a top tier candidate.

https://tygrrrrexpress.com/2007/03/from-the-king-of-the-hill-to-the-white-house/

His remarks to the blogger brunch were fabulous.

“Politics makes you long for the sincerity of Hollywood.”

“Will I serve in a John McCain administration? I can’t answer that at this time.”

“Being a community organizer must be very important. It might be equal to being Governor of a State.”

“Who says you don’t get experience by being a Senator? Has anybody observed the gallery?”

“The media gives a pass to Senators. Being a Senator does not give you any Foriegn Relations experience or any Foreign Policy experience.”

“As for Sarah Palin, she does not have experience making wrong decisions about Iraq. She does not have experience making wrong decisions about the surge. It was Joe Biden that had a three state solution that was wrong.”

“The media understands William Ayers. How smart do you have to be to understand that bombing the U.S. Capital is wrong?”

“Obama’s educational policies are a waste. They are a waste of money, and we pay for it.”

After his speech I let him know that I was at the RJC Candidates Forum, and that I appreciated his staunch and unwavering support of Israel.

I spoke with his legislative aide about setting up an interview, which hopefully will come through.

As enjoyable as he was with the bloggers, the red meat he offered during his prime time convention speech reminded me how much I liked him. He nailed it perfectly.

“What is going on in the Gulf  Coast is important, but so is this convention. This is about electing the next President.”

“We are the strongest, freest, most prosperous nation in history.”

“Sarah Palin is a breath of fresh air. She is a small town girl with small town values, which is not good enough for some. Others attack her family.”

“She governed, while others sat around on the Sunday talk shows.”

“The other side is in a state of panic.  She is not afraid of upsetting the establishment.  Does that sound like anyone else?”

“She is the only one I know to take down a moose. Well, except for maybe Teddy Roosevelt.”

“Forget alligators getting irritated. John McCain and Sarah Palin will drain the swamp.”

“Barack Obama doesn’t want to tax people. He only wants to tax businesses.” So unless you buy something from a business, such as food, fuel, or medicine…or work for and collect a paycheck from a business…don’t worry, it won’t affect you.”

“Look at John’s 96 year old mother Roberta McCain. had she been captured, the North Vietnamese would have surrendered.”

“John McCain had rebellious parents. I bet you can see where this is going.”

“He broke his dad’s record for demerits, not realizing this may not be seen as a good thing. Yet even as the leader of a rebellion, he never violated the honor code despite the demerits.”

“If you want to know what John McCain values, just look at the men in the military today.”

“We hear about hope. John McCain knows about hope. That was all he had.”

“When ordered by his captors to give up the other men in his squadron, John McCain gave his captors the names of the offensive line of the Green Bay Packers.”

“His bones were broken, but his spirit never was.”

“Being a POW doesn’t qualify a man to be President, but it does reveal character.”

“Civilizations since the beginning of time have sought this type of character in a leader.”

“The question must be asked of all who seek the office. Who is this man? Can we trust him to seek the Presidency?”

“John McCain went to Iraq to seek the truth, not publicity. He said no to President Reagan on Beirut. That’s character you can believe in.”

“He has worldwide respect, not a teleprompter speech to our critics abroad.”

“We stand with John McCain. We salute him.”

I salute Fred Thompson. He would make a fine Attorney General in a McCain administration. Then again, as he reminds us, given how beautiful and friendly politics can be, he might just opt for the safe, cozy, and kind existence of Hollywood.

I hope not. America needs top caliber people, and Fred Thompson stands tall in the saddle.

eric

Several fine individuals addressed the 2008 Republican Convention in Minneapolis.

Former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge gave a serious address.

“Some actually questioned his resolve. They were waiting for that white flag of surrender. He looked at me and said, ‘Tom, you and I both know I have been through worse.'”

“He spread some papers across the table and said, ‘Let me tell you how I think we can.'”

“That’s John McCain.”

“Where some people see defeat, John McCain pursues victory.”

“John knows you run to win, but you win to govern. So who but John McCain but John McCain understands that America’s security and prosperity are tied to the security and prosperity of the rest of the world. He has already earned the trust and admiration of the rest of the world.”

“We need a leader who fits the times, not merely a candidate who feels its his time to lead.”

“It’s not who can take a 3am call. It is about who has answered the call throughout his entire life.”

“It’s not about building a record. It’s about having one.”

“It’s not about talking pretty. It’s about talking straight.”

“The challenge of our times is not simply to change. It is to leave nothing to chance.”

“He does not think in red versus blue. He only thinks in red, white, and blue. That’s John McCain.”

“He always puts his country first. A Reagan conservative, an optimist, a go to guy. That’s John McCain.”

“I’m so very proud to say that’s my friend. That’s John McCain.”

South Carolina Lindsay Graham had a lot to say. His state knows more than a thing or two about the military.

“This speech is for the troops. By every measure, the surge has worked.”

“15 out of the 18 political benchmarks have been met by the Iraqi government.”

“This week, Anbar province, once an Al Queda stronghold, has been returned to the Iraqis.”

“I promise you, above allothers, Al Queda knows the surge has worked. The only people who deny it are Barack Obama and his buddies at Moveon.org.”

“Why won’t they admit i? Because Barack Obama’s campaign is built around losing in Iraq.”

“The soldiers gave Senator McCain something he knows a lot about…straight talk.”

“Some said that calling for more troops was political suicide. You know what? It was the right thing to do.”

“We came within 2 votes of a Congressionally mandated surrender. One democrat broke ranks. Thank God for Joe Lieberman.”

“It was John McCain that stopped the democrats from losing this war.”

“Those who voted to cut off funding will be footnotes in history. We are on the road to victory, we are winning, and America is safer.”

“Barack Obama preaches his support of the troops, but will not acknowledge their success. The troops have worked too hard for a patronizing pat on the back.”

“If Barack Obama cannot appreciate that we are winning in Iraq, he should not be Commander in Chief. I am not saying he doesn’t care. I am saying he doesn’t get it.”

“We should all be grateful that Barack Obama was unable to defeat the surge. The surge was a test for Obama. He failed miserably.”

Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee then served up some of his bonhomie as only he can.

“John McCain will follow the fanatics to their cave.”

“Some of you enjoyed Barack Obama’s Excellent Adventure to people overseas who don’t vote.”

“It’s not what he took. It’s what he brought back…European values.”

“It was Abraham Lincoln who said that ‘A government that can do everything for us is a government that can take everything away from us.'”

“My family was not rich. My dad worked hard.”

“The only soap we had in my house was lava. It did not make for a good shower.”

“I’m not a republican because I’m rich. I’m a republican because I don’t want to end up poor waiting for the government to rescue me.”

“Sarah Palin had more experience as Mayor of Wasilla than Joe Biden had running for President.”

“John McCain is not marked by what he wants to receive, but by what he has already given.”

“John McCain is one of the people who fought for freedom so I could have a school desk.”

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney offered some red meat for the crowd.

“For decades, the Washington sun has been rising in the East because that is where the elites are. It should rise in the West, from Arizona.”

“Barack Obama is a liberal. Only a liberal could favor giving Gitmo detainees more rights than that of U.S. citizens.”

“Only a liberal could favor the teachers unions over the students.”

“Only a liberal could favor doing nothing on energy over investing in nuclear power.”

“I spent 25 years in the private sector. Liberals don’t have a clue. They think economic growth comes from government.”

“America can’t lead the family of nations if we can’t grow.”

“Dependency is death to initiative. We must government dependency like the poison that it is.”

“The part of big ideas is better than the party of big brother.”

“China is acting like Adam Smith on steroids. This is no time for timid liberal empty gestures. We need to take a weed whacker to government regulations that cripple businesses.”

“We need to stop the Tyrannosaurus Rex of unions.”

“We can save energy. Let’s keep Al Gore’s private jet on the ground.”

“Republicans believes that there is good and evil. Radical violent Islam is evil, and John McCain will defeat it.”

“The democrats didn’t talk about evil last week. Straight talk is better than politically correct talk.”

“We will never allow America to retreat in the face of evil extremism.”

“Just like you, there was never a day that I wasn’t proud to be an American.”

Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman did his part to calm the crowd. After all, noise control is important, and it is difficult to sleep at a convention when people are yelling and screaming with excitement.

“We are all members of our larger family.”

“As for George Washington, we are living the worst nightmare in the city that bears his name.”

“God only made one John McCain, and he is his own man.”

“If John McCain is just another partisan republican, then I am Michael Moore’s favorite democrat.”

“As for Barack Obama, eloquence is no substitute for a record.”

“Obama voted to cut off funding for the troops on the battlefield.”

“John McCain authorized the surge. Thousands of our trops are coming home with honor.”

“John McCain is a man that our allies will trust and our enemies will fear.”

“These are no ordinary times, and John McCain is no ordinary candidate.”

Tom Ridge, Lindsay Graham, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, and Joe Lieberman are all good men. They are men of integrity with success in their various endeavors.

So why are none of them on the ticket?

Because none of them should be.

Tom Ridge is the most plausible of the 5 men. Every 4 years he is mentioned as a possible candidate. He is a Catholic, a powerful coveted voting bloc. He is a respected former governor that would instantly make Pennsylvania a likely win. His stint heading the Department of Homeland Security gives him credibility on Foreign Policy.

Unfortunately, he is pro-choice on abortion. This by itself would be less of a liability if he was more charismatic. If Rudy Giuliani cannot make it on the ticket, than the republican party is not ready for Tom Ridge.

Lindsay Graham should be beloved in the party because of his stint as one of the impeachment managers a decade ago. He delivered the best line of the entire process when he spoke of President Clinton. “The White House is a bully pulpit, but it should never be occupied by a bully.”

The downside is that South Carolina is a solid republican state. There is no strategic advantage. A bigger downside is that Graham is also a Senator. Tickets need executives, not legislators. Yet the biggest problem with Graham is that he is also a maverick. From supporting McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform to participating in the Gang of 14 on judges, Graham has enraged the base. He also enrages the base on illegal immigration. His nickname is Lindsay Grahamnesty.

Mike Huckabee has a good sense of humor, and is self deprecating in the same manner that Ronald Reagan was, an important trait.

Having said that, he is a disaster for everybody except the social conservatives. As a tax raiser, the Wall Street Journal Conservatives would be in a state of open revolt. Additionally, his hard line stances on social issues make him qualified to lead rural Iowa and nothing else. The democrats would paint him as a knuckle dragging neanderthal, leading to a democratic landslide.

Mitt Romney is a successful business executive who rescued the Olympics. Then again, rescuing the Olympics can be positive or negative depending on how one views those colossally boring games. Mitt Romney would make an excellent attack dog, a quality for a Vice Presidential candidate.

His downsides are numerous. For one, the democrats would paint him as a flip flipper because some of his positions changed when he decided to run for President. Evangelicals may or may not be willing to vote for a Mormon. Yes, this is bigotry, but bigotry exists. Yet the biggest problem with Romney is that his own success would be used against him. During tough economic times, a multimillionaire preaching personal responsibility and tough love would be a disaster. Democrats are masters of class warfare, and Romney would be easy to attack.

As for Joe Lieberman, he should be chosen if the republican party is out of its (redacted) mind. He is a lifelong democrat, who even as an independent, still caucuses with the democrats. He is dead right about the War on Terror and dead wrong about most everything else. To be on the republican ticket, one has to be a republican. Also, Lieberman is mind numbingly boring. He does put Florida in play, but puts people to sleep most everywhere else.

With John McCain as President and Sarah Palin as Vice President, there are roles for the rest of these fine men.

Mitt Romney would be a great fit as Treasury Secretary.

Mike Huckabee could be Secretary of Education, or head up the President’s faith based initiatives program.

Joe Lieberman could be Secretary of Defense, or Secretary of State if he wants to help Simon Wiesenthal clean out anti-semitism from its most hateful locations. Unless McCain secretly hates Lieberman, the Defense job would be a good reward.

Tom Ridge could be the head of the National Security Council.

Lindsay Graham could be the head of Veterans Affairs.

We shall see.

eric

Saturday is usually a day for lighthearted human interest stories, and this Saturday will contain my sacred annual National Football League analysis (in a separate post) where I make my predictions that end up quickly being off the mark. I try to avoid politics. However, the heat of the moment from a pair of back to back conventions has my blog taking an approach that is anything but conventional.

This wrap up will actually not be the last word on the subject. I conducted so many interviews with so many politicians and media personalities that I will have enough material to get through the election already. It might get to the point where I am offering the predictions of others on Election 2008 after the election itself. Nothing benefits a blog like obsolete material.

Before giving out letter grades to the speakers, warm fuzzy memories can be offered before Monday, when the politics heats up again (Sunday is NFL time).

I also made friends I will have for life, and that is more important than any political event.

Even the politicos that could not grant me an interview on the record either due to legal and contractual reasons or time constraints were kind towards me when I told them things they may not hear on a daily basis.

Actor Stephen Baldwin gave me a hearty handshake when I pointed out that I knew nothing about the entertainment industry, but loved him on “The Apprentice.” I admired his ethics.

Correspondent Andrea Mitchell is not somebody I know much about, but she is married to Sir Alan of Greenspan. I told her that in my mind, her husband saved this country 20 years ago. People do not realize that the 1987 stock market crash could have wrecked our economy. Greenspan’s quick action staved off a financial meltdown.

Jim Angle of Fox News was very friendly, but was unable to be interviewed. The same was the case with Bill Schneider of CNN. I told them I was a republican blogger, and their positions require a neutrality that they cannot compromise. Others did the interviews but would not state preferences, only analysis.

Alan Colmes of Fox News was a decent enough guy. I say decent enough because it was midnight, and he was exhausted. I told him that I was a republican blogger who disagreed with him most of the time, but that I found him to be a decent and thoughtful man. He was being accused of taking cheap shots at Sarah Palin and her family. This was not the case. Many liberals do get vicious, and Alan Colmes had criticized them. He appreciated my defending him, although I again reminded him that I was on the other side.

Brett Baier of Fox News was genuinely touched when I offered prayers for his family. He and his wife had a newborn baby daughter that barely survived, and thankfully the child is better now. May God bless the Baier family.

Of all the people who had an impact on me during the experience, radio legend Hugh Hewitt topped the list. Hugh Hewitt is also the preeminent blogger in the country, the father of political blogging.

I did an interview with him that I will publish in several days. However, I did not want to wait any longer to publicly thank him for giving a lesser known blogger a shot at the big time.

Mr. Hewitt allowed me to be a guest on his radio show for 2-3 minutes to promote my blog. After I was done, my email inbox was flooded, and not just with people trying to sell me the key to refinancing my viagra purchases to be used while playing online poker with no money down.

I have a reputation for being sophomoric, but I played it serious and professional on his show.

Mr. Hewitt even went one step further. He provided a link to my column yesterday on Sarah Palin being the second coming of Margaret Thatcher. This time it was my blog traffic that exploded. I had my third best day of hits ever. I hope Mr. Hewitt forgives me for getting 5 more hits from a Mark Steyn link, although I can always demand a recount. My best day was from Super Tuesday just after the Superbowl when I compared Barack Obama to Eli Manning, bringing in sports nuts and the politicos.

I am grateful for Mr. Hewitt’s willingness to risk his entire brand on a maverick in the blogging world.

I hope that by providing a link to him, I can increase his traffic as well.

http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/blog

I would also like to extend a hearty thank you to radio personality Armstrong Williams.

http://www.armstrongwilliams.com/

Armstrong is an unapologetic conservative, and has a great sense of humor to boot. I will publish my interview with him in several days as well.

He allowed me on his radio show as well, and he gave me about 10 minutes, a staggering amount of time for a neophyte. On this one I was a little more lighthearted, but did not say or do anything that ended his career. He is still on the air. He has talked about checking in with me from time to time about having me on again. Whether or not time allows for that, he was wonderful to give me the boost to begin with.

One person that I did not see at the convention, which was a tad disappointing, was Biff Henderson from the Late Show With David Letterman. I do not agree with his politics, but from a comedy standpoint, I love Dave. I do not like when he takes his shots at republicans, but otherwise, his New York edge is enjoyable. His stagehand Biff Henderson is “everyman,” and I hope to interview him one day. Then I hope they have me on the show. That is a hint Dave.

Yet of all the things that I will take away from this convention, the friendships I made with fellow bloggers and others was what was paramount. I had communicated with them on the internet, and in rare cases by telephone. It was nice to meet them in real life.

Chad Everson of the Grizzly Groundswell Network organized an entire group of republican bloggers together and unleashed us on the world, or at least Minnesota.

www.grizzlygroundswell.com

Doug Welch, also known as Stix, is now a friend for life. Hanging out with him was awesome.

http://stix1972.typepad.com/

It was Stix, and Tygrrrrs, and Bears, oh my!

It would be impossible to talk about these guys without talking about where we slept. 30 years from now I will smile and tell people that for an entire week, I slept in a sports bar. Yes, you read that correctly. Stix and Grizzly slept on the floor of a designated area, one guy had access to sleeping on the stage, and I slept in the loft with the Chicago Cannonball. My views do not express hers. She went home after 2 days as scheduled, and I slept alone in the loft the last 3 nights on her air mattress.

If Stix and Grizzly are reading this, please mail her the mattress so she does not shoot me.

We had full access to the bar. I drank diet coke and ate pizza at 2am. It was like going back to college. In fact, it was like the movie “Old School,” with Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell, and Luke Wilson. The whole weekend I kept saying, “Blue! You’re my boy Blue! You’re my boy!” I also at least once a day turned to Stix and Chad and said, “Can you believe we are living in a sports bar?”

This truly was fantasy camp. I would like to thank Brad the owner and his son Josh. If you are in Downtown Minneapolis, go there and get some excellent tasting pizza.

http://www.linwoodpizzamn.com/

Some other blogger friends that hung out with us included Dr. Bill from Arkansas. He is a genuinely nice and fun guy.

http://arkansasgopwing.blogspot.com/

Pastor Ed Boston, aka Cyber Pastor, and his wife showed up. They are both lovely human beings with good hearts. Sheridan Folger is Irish, and proud of it. He is also highly entertaining.

http://dotherightthing-cyberpastor.blogspot.com/

Steve at No Runny Eggs drove for hours to meet us, and I regret that I only got to see him for a few minutes. I was having a private romantic dinner with the Chicago Cannonball, which trumps politics.

http://norunnyeggs.com/

This probably would have turned into a fraternity party (actually it did most of the time) were it not for the civilizing influence of a lady blogger. Howard Stern has Robin Quivers. We had Skye from Flopping Aces. She is a master of photography and blogging.

http://www.floppingaces.net/

She also shot a video of me taking on a couple protesters, one for Code Pink and the other for Ron Paul. I kicked rumpus of course.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQWAUao-SSY

I also got to meet Miss Texas. She is competing in the Miss America pageant.

http://www.misstexas.org/home.html

The funny thing is that she approached me in the convention hall. She heard me verbally taking down the protesters, and came up to me to thank me. She was very pleasant, and I will publish my interview with her in the coming days. Although I took a picture with her, I let everybody know that my girlfriend was and is my Miss America.

Another beautiful and smart woman that I finally got to meet was Townhall reporter Amanda Carpenter. I have interviewed her before, and was glad to finally meet the incredibly nice person behind the solid reporting.

http://townhall.com/Columnists/AmandaCarpenter/

A great guy I had the pleasure of getting to know was Richie at Hip Hop Republican.

http://www.hiphoprepublican.com/

The Minnesota people were awesome, and the Minneapolis Police Department had some really cool cops. One of them gave me and Stix a ride home when the bus didn’t show up. We had a convoy of safety. Brad did what he does best, which was make sure they had pizza.

Yet beneath all the partying was politics. Below are my letter grades for the main candidates.

Denver Democrats:

Joe Biden–I was shocked. He is usually a gasbag, but this speech was warm and poignant. A+

Mark Warner–If the democrats ever learn how to be pro business, they will become normal. Mark Warner is pro business. A

Michelle Obama–Her job was to convince people she was a nice person, and not an angry hostile America hater. I felt she went way too far in the other direction. Her speech was so sugary that it would have killed a diabetic. However, it served its purpose. B

Bill Clinton–I gave him an A- in 2004. This speech was just not as good. His heart may not have been in it. B-

Barack Obama–I gave him an A+ in 2004. This time he did not live up. His speech was simply too negative. Vice Presidents and Keynoters can attack. Presidents have to be positive. C+

Bill Richardson–He has an impressive resume, but was terrible on the stump. He does not inspire, and in this case he did not fail to disappoint and underwhelm. C

Hillary Clinton–She could not bring herself to tell us why Barack Obama should be President. The only praise she gave him was that she favored something, he agreed with her, therefore he is right, because she was. Do not be fooled. She was selfish to the end. C-

Minnesota Republicans:

Sarah Palin–A star is born. The second coming of Margaret Thatcher is from Alaska. A+

Rudy Giuliani–I gave him an A+ in 2004, and he is as great as ever. Slash and burn is his approach, and he does it brilliantly. A+

Fred Thompson–He comes across as so laid back, but his biting wit just works. A+

President George W. Bush–I gave him an A- in 2004, and he was solid again. His line decking the angry left was the highlight. A-

Linda Lingle–The Governor of Hawaii is another rising star. She was effective and personable. A-

Mitt Romney–He was quite good, but there were so many great speeches that he might be downgraded on this arbitrary curve. B+

Cindy McCain–Her speech was harmless. She loves her husband. She is a good human being, but not a compelling speaker. C+

Joseph Lieberman–This man knows how to calm down a crowd. He is a good man, a fine human being, and a colossally boring speaker. He simply puts people to sleep. D

There were no Fs this year. In 2004 John Kerry got a D and Theresa Heinz Kerry got an F. The Bush twins got an F for their routine that had Grandmother Barbara displeased.

Anyway, that concludes my temporary wrap up of the 2008 Republican Convention.

I say temporary because this blog is topic driven when there are no events, and event driven when appropriate. The next couple months will be almost totally event driven. I will have tons of interviews to publish.

So consider this the wrap up for the day.

eric