It is really hard to keep up. Very interesting to watch the debates. As you know, the US system we are really only given the choices of two parties. If you are a business person or someone who is against raising taxes, then the last thing you probably want to do is put in a democrat as they all want to raise taxes.

I used to be an avid reader of the NY Times but got a bit bored with the partisan reporting. However, they do have a good little summary on the candidates here and their positions.

Could you imagine being a candidate or running for a position? It seems like a tough area. Below is one of the emails that is currently floating around about Hillary. In a breakfast meeting with Robert Mendoza the CEO of Trinsum on 17 January, he predicted that Obama would win the Dems and McCain would win for the Republicans. It will be interesting to see what happens.

With all the political mud-slinging it is tough to know who to trust. Since lawyer is equated with professional politician, the feeling the US is that people want someone with a different experience in the real world. Let’s watch and see.

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Comments by Dick Morris, former political advisor toPresident Bill Clinton

If you happen to see the Bill Clinton five minute TVad for Hillary in which he introduces the commercial by saying that he wants to share some things we maynot know about Hillary’s background . . .beware . ..As I was there for most of their presidency and knowthem better than just about anyone, I offer a few corrections;Bill says: “In law school Hillary worked on legalservices for the poor.”

The facts are: Hillary’s main extra-curricularactivity in law school was helping the Black Panthers, on trial in Connecticut for torturing andkilling a federal agent. She went to court every dayas part of a law student monitoring committee tryingto spot civil rights violations and develop grounds for appeal.Bill says: “Hillary spent a year after graduationworking on a children’s rights project for poorkids.”

The facts are: Hillary interned with Bob Truehaft, the head of the California Communist Party. She metBob when he represented the Panthers and traveledall the way to San Francisco to take an internshipwith him.Bill says: “Hillary could have written her own job ticket, but she turned down all the lucrative joboffers.”

The facts are: She flunked the DC bar exam, yes,flunked, it is a matter of record, and only passedthe Arkansas bar. She had no job offers in Arkansas, none, and only got hired by the Universityof Arkansas Law School at Fayetteville because Billwas already teaching there. She did not join theprestigious Rose Law Firm until Bill became Arkansas Attorney General and was made a partner only after hewas elected Arkansas Governor.Bill says: “President Carter appointed Hillary tothe Legal Services Board of Directors and she became its chairman.”

The facts are: The appointment was in exchange forBill’s support for Carter in his 1980 primaryagainst Ted Kennedy. Hillary then became chairmanin a coup in which she won a majority away from Carter’s choice to be chairman.Bill says: “She served on the board of the ArkansasChildren’s Hospital.”

The facts are: Yes she did. But her main board activity, not mentioned by Bill, was to sit on theWal-mart board of directors, for a substantial fee.She was silent about their labor and health carepractices.Bill says: “Hillary didn’t succeed at getting health care for all Americans in 1994 but she kept workingat it and helped to create the Children’s HealthInsurance Program (CHIP) that provides five millionchildren with health insurance.”

The facts are: Hillary had nothing to do withcreating CHIP. It was included in the budget dealbetween Clinton and Republican Majority LeaderSenator Trent Lott. I know; I helped to negotiatethe deal. The money came half from the budget deal and half from the Attorney Generals’ tobaccosettlement. Hillary had nothing to do with eithersource of funds.Bill says: “Hillary was the face of America all overthe world.”

The facts are: Her visits were part of a program toget her out of town so that Bill would not appearweak by feeding stories that Hillary was running theWhite House. Her visits abroad were entirely touristic and symbolic and there was no substantivediplomacy on any of them.Bill says: “Hillary was an excellent Senator whokept fighting for children’s and women’s issues.”

The facts are: Other than totally meaninglesslegislation like changing the names on courthousesand post offices, she has passed only foursubstantive pieces of legislation. One set up anational park in Puerto Rico. A second providedrespite care for family members helping theirrelatives through Alzheimer’s or other conditions.And two were routine bills to aid 911 victims andresponders which were sponsored by the entire NY delegation. Presently she is trying to have the USmemorialize the Woodstock fiasco of 40 years ago.Here is what bothers me more than anything elseabout Hillary Clinton. She has done everythingpossible to weaken the President and our country(that’s you and me!) when it comes to the war onterror.1. She wants to close GITMO and move the combatantsto the USA where they would have access to our legal system.2. She wants to eliminate the monitoring ofsuspected Al Qaeda phone calls to/from the USA.3. She wants to grant constitutional rights toenemy combatants captured on the battlefield.4. She wants to eliminate the monitoring of money transfers between suspected Al Qaeda cells andsupporters in the USA.5. She wants to eliminate the type of interrogationtactics used by the military & CIA where coercionmight be used when questioning known terrorists even though such tactics might save American lives.One cannot think of a single bill Hillary hasintroduced or a single comment she has made thatwould tend to strengthen our country in the War onTerror. But, one can think of a lot of comments she has made that weaken our country and makes it a moredangerous situation for all of us.

Bottom line: She goes hand in hand with the ACLU on far too many issues where common sense is abandoned.