Bob Barr Running for President?

Just when it appeared that we were thinning out the number of candidates in the race for the Presidency, it appears another might be jumping in. Former Republican Congressman Bob Barr of Georgia is poised to announce his candidacy.

Bob Barr, who lead the charge for impeachment against Bill Clinton, became the target of Democratic revenge and lost his seat in 2002. Barr eventually left the Republican Party and joined the Libertarian Party. This departure was due to Barr's opposition to the war in Iraq and the failure of Republicans to tackle fiscal problems.

He and Ron Paul are allies and the latter has yet to endorse McCain or even formally withdraw from the race. However, Paul has sacrificed his House seat before for a third party Presidential run and he is likely gun shy to pursue such again. Furthermore, the 71 year old might like to "pass the torch" to Barr after the long campaign. The two are old friends with very similar beliefs. Both Barr and Paul have been very critical of Senator McCain.

This has the potential to muddy the waters, although I think most Republicans will see that this race is too important for us to cast a protest vote.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Four Compelling Reasons to Think Twice About Leaving Iraq

Four compelling reasons to think twice about leaving Iraq from FreedomsWatch.org:

#1

"Iraq war veteran John Kriesel lost both legs in a blast near Fallujah on December 2nd, 2006. It was near the end of his second tour. Listen to why John believes Victory is America's only choice." See and hear the rest of the story here (first video).

#2

"Laura Youngblood lost 2 family members to al Qaeda terrorists, first her uncle Henry a New York City fireman who lost his life on 9/11, and than her husband Travis died fighting for our freedom in Iraq. Listen to why Laura believes Victory is America's only choice." Hear and see the rest of this compelling story by clicking here (second video).

#3

"Iraq war veteran Andrew Robinson was on his second tour of duty when he was wounded by an IED in June of 2006. Andrew lost the use of his legs. Listen to why Andrew believes Victory is America's only choice." See and hear the rest of this important story by clicking here (third video).

#4

"Vicki Strong lost her son Marine Sgt. Jesse Strong, in Iraq fighting for our freedom. Listen to why Vicki believes Victory is America's only choice." See and hear why she believes such by clicking here (video four).

Leaving Iraq and thinking our problems will go away is a very simplistic view of the situation. We didn't start this war and we are going to have to finish it. All we have been able to do is determine where this war is being fought. Do you want it over there or over here? Do you want little children at schools and families at malls on the front lines or well trained volunteers? We didn't choose to fight this world, but we must choose to win it.

Why We Haven't Seen Another September 11th

People have wondered why we have no had another incident like September 11th. Sure, we have your occasional anthrax scare or ad hoc group making plans, but we haven't seen anything like September 11th. It isn't because our enemies lack the resources or the resolve, they simply have better memories than many Americans.

They remember how the US was like a Sleeping Giant that abruptly woke up and immediately went to war in Afghanistan. They remember how Saddam Hussein and his regime was held accountable for violating terms of the conclusion of the last Gulf War.

Our troops are "over there" and our enemies want us "over here." The Islamic Fascist know that another September 11th will do nothing to reach that objective, knowing America's ability to respond.

An example of this is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a man who was behind September 11th and focused extensively on the West in his terrorist activities. That was the case until 2003, in which he moved his focus to fighting in Iraq and is believed to be the man who killed Daniel Pearl. Others in the al Qaeda movement made similar moves back to the Middle East.

My view is simple. I want this war fought by well trained volunteer adults in the Middle East, not by families and little children at school in the Midwest.

Let's keep the war over there in an effort to keep it away from here.

The Dangerous World After Tony Blair

Tony Blair (photo) is leaving and I'm really quite sad. True, the British Prime Minister is liberal on a huge list of social and economic issues, but he is so very right about the single most important issue facing Western Civilization -- the war against Islamic Fascist terror. With his departure, now just weeks away, Blair has been seen frequently on US news networks discussing his legacy. The issue that comes up most often is the war in Iraq.

His sound bites on the issue have been powerful and carry the important themes:

* This is not a war the West has asked for, but one in which we have been forced to fight. It is foolish to believe that we can leave Iraq and our problems would go with it. His reoccurring theme is that we didn't start this war, but we have no choice but to finish it.

* "This is not a clash between civilizations. It is a clash about civilization." I love this quote and this is what I mean by Blair "getting it" where others clearly don't. Islamic fascists attacked us, not the other way around. This a war that will only go away when it is won.

* "Some say if we act, we become a target. The truth is, all nations are targets. Bali was never in the front line of action against terrorism. America didn't attack al Qaeda. They attacked America." This is in specific reference to Iraq in his now famous "The War with Iraq" speech. Most people around the world, including many of our leaders, don't realize that the war in Iraq only allows to control where this war is fought. The declaration of war was done by our enemies, all we can hope to do is finish it.

Tony Blair is great, but I'm fairly sure that Labor will go a different direction under the new leadership. George Bush isn't the only one who lost a good friend with Blair's decision to leave, but so has every civilized nation around the world.

Republicans for Pelosi?

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (photo) may be the best thing to happen to the Republican Party since Ronald Reagan. Her trip to the terrorist state of Syria has many Jewish voters (a strong Democrat constituency) moving rapidly to the Republican Party. Her focus on witch hunts rather than legislation has the media rightly calling this a "do nothing" Congress. The 100 days of work she promised hasn't produced a single bill that has made it to the President's desk. Her failure to have the Congress renew the tax cuts (required for their continuation) could easily destroy the very low unemployment we currently enjoy (since such cuts stimulate economic growth). Most recently they sent a bill to the President that requires a deadline for the troops in Iraq to return. They are actually implying they won't fund and protect our troops unless there is a deadline that aids our enemies. The list goes on.

Rumor has it, Pelosi is considering a trip to Iran! She's been told "no" by the White House and has been threatened with the Logan Act for the trip she already took to Syria. The Logan Act prohibits any US citizen from going to foreign countries negotiating without the authority of the US government or purporting to represent the country. It certainly appears she may be guilty of such. With her comments about possibly going to Iran, some Republicans in the Senate are offering to buy her a ticket. It seems the more actions she takes, the more helpful she is to the Republican Party.

When Democrats challenged Republicans in the 2006 Congressional races, they claimed they would turn things around once elected. "Turning it around" is beginning to look like a war on the economy, the abandoning of our troops, and an irresponsible approach to foreign policy. The Democrats have been largely a minority party for quite some time. Pelosi's behavior is making me believe they actually prefer that status.

Tommy Thompson's Proposal on Iraqi Vote Makes Sense

Former Wisconsin Governor and former Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson (R) has come up with a proposal that could dramatically change the debate when it comes to the war in Iraq. Many liberals believe that the war is both a losing battle and an illegitimate one. Many argue that it was an act of imperialism on the part of the US government designed to put a puppet government in that country to support the objectives of the US. Thompson wants to have a referendum among the Iraqi people about a continued US presence in that country.

I believe recent elections (see photo) in Iraq have already validated the case for a US presence in the eyes of Iraqi voters. Terrorists told Iraqis that participating in the election equaled a vote for a US presence. As a result the allied forces had to take extreme measures in other to implement the voting process. Because of the possibility of bombers, people were forbidden to drive and often forced to walk for miles in order to cast a vote. The threat of snipers was rampant and voting at all was potentially very dangerous.

In the election in which the Iraqi Constitution was approved (something many considered a direct referendum about the US involvement), over 63 percent of the people voted. This is significantly higher than the 55.3 percent in the 2004 election (and 37 percent in 2002 in an off year) in the United States under much safer circumstances. The Iraqis seem very excited about the opportunity to cast a vote.

I believe Thompson's idea has a great deal of merit and should be seriously considered. My guess is that you will find very few opponents of the war who will get on board this proposition, I believe the voters should demand candidates to seriously debate this idea.

When it Comes to Iraq, Can the Democrats Afford Victory?

On the news this morning there is discussion of a bill in the US House of Representatives designed to put a deadline for US troop withdrawal from Iraq. I agree with many of those in the military that setting a deadline is the equivalent of providing important strategy information to our enemies. The logic is simple: if the enemy knows when we are going to leave they will know when to increase attacks (weeks up to withdrawal in order to make sure the US leaves). Congress forcing the President's hand in this way is paramount to treason, in my opinion.

Meanwhile, since the troop surge, violence has dropped significantly, areas are becoming more controllable, and people are cooperating with the US forces (including the turning in of terrorists). Everyone from the ground forces to the brass are reporting momentum in the right direction.

With each story indicating good news, the Democrats are getting more concerned. In fact, imagine what would happen to the Democrats, politically, if we actually won the war. They have invested in their rhetoric, policies, and positions in defeat. To win now would be devastating for Democrats, what a sad position for them to be in.

I'm not arguing that the Democrats lack patriotism, but rather that they have forced themselves into such a terrible position that can make them appear that way. We need to recognize the position they are in when they state their positions we develop our views accordingly. For me, I join the 57% of the population that doesn't want to leave without victory and I believe in our troops ability to meet that objective.

Newsweek Shamelessly Exploits Troops

While US forces continues to fight terrorism in the Middle East, Newsweek Magazine waged a war of exploitation on our troops. The above 12 American soldiers -- well trained volunteers who were defending our country in Iraq -- were killed when their helicopter was shot down in the conflict.

Without regard to the personal opinions of each of these people or their families, Newsweek has made them the poster children of the horrors of this war. The magazine explains the profound personal impact this lost has in its slow continuous drum beat against this war. This is just one more example of how irresponsible the media is and how consumers of the news needs to hold them accountable. In truth, people are doing just that by continuing to vote with their remotes for more conservative channels such as Fox News. Meanwhile, NBC, the recently deemed "most liberal" network by many conservative watch dog organizations, has seen a nose dive in its ratings with ABC's Charlie Gibson over taking the long popular Brian Williams of the Peacock Network in recent ratings.

I hope people keep taking a stand for our troops and against terror. I hope they are conscious about every media decision they make.