Quote: 

"TI would rather be governed by the first 2000 people in the Manhattan phone book than the entire faculty of Harvard."

-William F. Buckley Jr.

There Are Two Paths

In the words of Andrew Breitbart, "There are two paths," which we must choose between in this election.

Which path will we choose? Will we choose individual freedom and the free market? Or will we choose socialism and a culture that expects government to take care of it? These are not pastel colors or shades of gray. These are two distinctly different choices with two distinct destinations.

If you see a story that you believe would be useful and important to our readers, simply respond to this email with a link and a brief description of why it is important.  (Even if it may be obvious)

FBI Arrests Muslim terrorist with 1,000 lb bomb In plot to blowup NY Federal Reserve Building #savage 

US court throws out conviction of bin Laden driver

Conviction against bin Laden's driver quashed

The Blaze Exclusive | by Jason Howerton | Posted on October 18, 2012 at 1:11am  

An elementary school teacher in Chesapeake, Va. has been charged with simple assault after a parent claimed her daughter's hand was cut open as a result of the teacher yanking her arm aggressively while trying to teach students an "Islamic hand sign."

Officer Leo Kosinski, a spokesman for the Chesapeake Police Department, told TheBlaze that Tara Harris was criminally charged with a misdemeanor on Oct. 11 and released on a summons. The case is currently under investigation.

"It's still a criminal charge. It happened at the school and it involved a student," Kosinski said. The police department could not release any additional information.

Stephanie Bennett, the mother of the 10-year-old girl who was allegedly assaulted at Butts Road Intermediate School, told TheBlaze in an emotional phone interview that Harris has a disturbing trend of "indoctrinating" students with Islamic teachings. She also said the teacher openly campaigns for President Barack Obama in the classroom.

The incident of alleged assault occurred on October 2, according to Bennett.

"The teacher was going over Islamic hand signs with the children - she stayed on this issue for two days straight during their reading and math class," she said.

Bennett's daughter suffers from a processing disorder, making it difficult for her to quickly grasp things like hand signs. "Not that she's uneducated or anything. It's just a processing problem," the mother said.

When Bennett's daughter was unable to do the Islamic hand sign correctly after two days of instruction, Harris became frustrated and attempted to twist the girl's fingers to make the Islamic gesture meaning "power and strength." The way Bennett described it, it sounds like an upside A-OK hand gesture. It is unclear exactly which "Islamic hand sign" was being promoted as the source information comes from children.

Dear Supporter,

Are Obama's Failing Energy Policies Hurting You?

Join AFP-Pennsylvania Friday for our Obama's Failing Agenda event and fill up your gas tank for ONLY $1.84 a gallon!

Gas will be limited to the first 100 cars; don't miss out on this deal! (Each car will be limited to 15 gallons of gas)

Here in Pennsylvania, President Obama's failing green energy policies have us counting every penny and putting America deeper into debt. That's why we're gathering Friday, to give a voice to the countless Pennsylvanians who oppose the policies of this administration. Join us!

                           Southeast Pennsylvania

                 Friday, October 19, 2012 from 4-6 PM

Text "GAS" to 46262 to be the first to find out the location

President Obama's failing agenda has given billions to politically favored green-energy boondoggles like Solyndra. The simple truth is, the federal government has no business gambling with taxpayer dollars to reward their political allies. It's irresponsible, it doesn't work (companies like Solyndra keep failing), and it leads to more government cronyism. These free events will be held rain or shine.

For Prosperity,

Jennifer Stefano

Pennsylvania State Director

Americans for Prosperity

@StefanoSpeaks

********************************************

Dear Fellow Patriots,

Every Wednesday in October, Americans for Prosperity - Pennsylvania will be hosting a Chick-fil-A Freedom Phone Bank at our Media Headquarters, located at 426-428 E Baltimore Pike (across the street old media motel and Starbucks) between 5:00PM and 9:00 PM.

Doors will open at 4:00PM and a Chick-fil-A dinner will be served at 7:00PM. I know that making phone calls is not everyone's favorite activity, but it is Critical that we make them because they are statistically one of the most Effective tools we have to Educate unconcerned citizens about issues of Economic Freedom and the Failing Agenda  of President Obama.

Please RSVP by following this link http://bit.ly/SLfMbc or by calling me directly at (267) 838 2380.

In Liberty,

Matthew M. Hissey

Field Director, Southeast Pennsylvania

Americans For Prosperity

mhissey@afphq.org

(267) 828 2380

(610) 209 7565

********************************************  

Video: Watch the 2nd Presidential Debate from Hofstra University 

Posted: 16 Oct 2012 07:49 PM PDT

Tuesday night ushered in the second Presidential Debate featuring President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney, this time from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. This debate was structured as a "town hall" event with questions primarily coming from a pre-screened audience of undecided voters. The moderator was Candy Crowley, CNN's Chief Political Correspondent.

Video: Watch the Oct. 11 Vice Presidential debate from Centre College 

Video: Watch the First Presidential Debate from the University of Denver 

DEBATE SCHEDULE!    

Never paid a bit of attention to it in the past, but we have a "Presidential Debate Commission" that runs the Presidential and Vice Presidential debates (or doesn't run them as some may suspect).

Here is the information you will be most happy to have......the email address for "The Commission" in case you want to share your opinions on how the debates have been handles thus far!

comments@debates.org

Here is the link to the Wikipedia page that contains basic information on the commission :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commission_on_Presidential_Debates

The website for the "Presidential Debate Commission" is :

http://www.debates.org/

Dinesh D'Souza TO SPEAK IN DELAWARE COUNTY

SMITH-CASEY TO FACE OFF IN DEBATE

PITTSBURGH - The Smith for Senate campaign today announced a debate with Senator Bob Casey, to take place on Friday, October 26, at WPVI's studio in Philadelphia. The debate will be broadcast on Sunday, October 28, and available for rebroadcast after 2:00 pm on October 28, 2012 (and within 72 hours of the original airdate & time) by any television/cable outlet, or radio station that wishes to do so.

"Tom welcomes the opportunity to contrast his detailed plan to create jobs, balance the budget, and reduce the debt with Senator Casey's record as a failed career politician who has voted to increase the debt, raise taxes, and weaken Medicare," said Smith Campaign Manager Jim Conroy. "As public polling in the race has made clear, Pennsylvanian's are raising serious concerns about Senator Casey's lack of leadership and lock step support for failed big government policies." 

The debate will be moderated by Jim Gardner, Action News anchor at WPVI-TV. Gardner will be joined by two panelists: Monica Malpass, Action News Anchor and Vernon Odom, Action News Reporter. 

The debate will be sponsored by WPVI-TV, 6abc, and The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania Citizen Education Fund. 

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE CONSTITUTION?

The Phoenixville RCCC is hosting:

A Voter's Guide to Fundamental Principles of the Constitution: Original Intent vs. an "Evolving" Constitution

PLEASE CONSIDER ATTENDING THIS FREE SEMINAR

A "Refresher" to help voters make sense of their choices on Election Day Nov 6, 2012...and beyond.

PRESENTED BY STEVEN VOIGT

A five-time recipient of the Rising Star Award and one of only 35 lawyers in Pennsylvania honored in 2007 as a "Lawyer on the Fast Track" by a panel of judges and lawyers, Steve is Counsel at one of the largest law firms in the world. Steve is a lead lawyer on high-stakes, complex litigation in numerous jurisdictions, including state and federal courts.  Throughout his career, Steve has been writing and speaking in defense of the Constitution.  Steve's papers have been published by law reviews, on the internet, and in books.  In his free seminar, Steve defines the competing judicial philosophies of strict construction and judicial activism and explains the dangers of judicial activism to our Constitution and our system of governance

WHEN: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19^TH, 2012

WHERE: PHOENIXVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL LIBRARY   

TIME: 7:00 P.M. - 8:30 P.M.

ALL ARE WELCOME AND INVITED TO ATTEND

LIGHT REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED

"Lionsgate Home Entertainment said it will release the movie Oct. 16 on DVD and Oct. 12 on pay-per-view."  

CONSERVATIVE VOTER RALLY SLATED FOR OCTOBER 20TH

HAZLETON October 10, 2012 - A coalition of conservative organizations, politicians, and voters will gather on October 20^th in Hazleton, PA to unite in what they have been calling "a grassroots effort to restore America's foundations."

The Conservative Voter Rally is openly supported by at least nine conservative groups from across the region, and the state. Six special guest speakers are scheduled to address deeply held conservative beliefs such as low taxes, limited government, a strong military, and traditional moral values.

Main supporters include organizations such as: First District Republicans, God in Government, Pennsylvania Pastors Network, Luzerne County Young Republicans, Tea Party Patriots, Victory Bible Church, 94.3FM "The Talker," and Citizens Alliance of Pennsylvania.

The producers of The Voice of John, a pro-life documentary film slated for national release on November 4^th, will be there as well.

Scheduled speaker lineup includes: David Madeira (The David Madeira Show), Lou Barletta (U.S. Congressman), Sam Rohrer (President, Pennsylvania Pastors Network), Tarah Toohil (Pennsylvania House of Representatives), Bob Zaruta (President, Luzerne County Young Republicans), and Laureen Cummings (Candidate for U.S. Congress).

Tiffany Cloud, host of WYLN-TV's Storm Politics, will serve as emcee for the event. Pastor Ron Radtke, of Victory Bible Church, will lead the gathering in prayer and The Pledge of Allegiance.

The Conservative Voter Rally will take place on Saturday, October 20^th at Genetti's in Hazleton, PA. It will run from 11:30 am until 3:30 pm. Tickets for the event are $20 per person, and must be purchased in advance by October 16^th. Lunch is included. 

to get FREE tickets go to:

http://www.wntp.com/pages/Battleground_Talkers_Tour

A new app called "In Obama's own words" is great.  Right now it is only for the iPhone.  If you are wanting for someone to hear something Obama said that really is awful for our country, and he has said a lot, this app is what you need on your iPhone.  It is only $.99.  It is well worth it.  It is him talking and saying these things that other people can hear when you press the play button.  Pass this information on.  The guy who made this is had so many requests to make it for other popular cell phones now.  He is just a great patriot who is a great computer nerd and did this after hundreds of hours of work on it.   

 Florida Family Association's webmaster American Family Online has produced the following remarkable product to protect children and adults from explicit material on cell phones and tablets.

( You can find more information please see http://mobilewebguard.com )

According to our research at AFO, the largest growing group of smart phone users is the 12-17 year old age group.  Unfortunately, also according to research, the largest viewership of pornography from the Internet on smart phones is 12 to 17 year old children.  The impact is catastrophic.  Desensitization, failed relationships, abuse of women are the results, nothing good.

Although there are other so called parental control functions and filtered browser apps available, none give the protection and full functionality of MobileWebGuard.  We are most proud of the intelligent content scanning and the lock down so that it cannot be easily removed or deactivated.  A filter that can easily be removed or bypassed is a placebo and will do more harm than good if a parent thinks the phone is filtered and it is not.

This app works on most Android and Apple (iOS) devices including smart phones and tablets!  These are the fastest growing segments in consumer technology and thus the most exposed to the dark side of the Internet.  For peace of mind online, a parent must insure their child has a protected mobile device.

Related Scripture Verses

1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.

Romans 1:24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.

2 Corinthians 12:21 I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged.

Philippians 4:8^- Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.

1 Peter 4:7-10 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. ⁸ Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. ⁹ Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. ¹⁰ Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.

Features

Compatible with most iOS (Apple) and Android devices and includes ...

  You can find more information please see http://mobilewebguard.com

Yes, it's true: You can support ACT! for America-at no cost to you!     An important message from
Guy Rodgers, Executive Director  

The next time you make an online purchase of almost anything, you could be helping ACT! for America-at no cost to you.

Sound too good to be true? It isn't.

All you have to do is sign up for "iGive"-a program that's been around since 1997.

The concept is as powerful as it is simple.

  And with the holidays just around the corner, you could be helping ACT! for America with every gift you buy!

The concept isn't new. In the mid-1990s many supporters of non-profit organizations signed up with long distance telephone programs where a percentage of their bill was donated to their charity of choice.

But our investigation of iGive has convinced us that this program has an ease of use and sophistication that we find remarkable.

  In other words, every time you make a purchase of merchandise you would buy anyway, you would be financially supporting ACT! for America!

All you have to do is log on below and follow the directions to create your account and download the iGive "button." (Note: downloading the "button" is key).

Get Started Here!

When I was first informed of iGive, I was skeptical. I've seen these ideas come and go. Often, they're too good to be true. Or there are all kinds of glitches and problems.

So I spent hours researching.

I looked at online customer reviews (which were very good). I read all of iGive's fine print, such as Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. I signed up and even emailed two tech support questions to see how good their tech support was.

  As you know from our Patriot Partner program, we're all about encouraging a lot of people to each do a little-to do something. When everyone does a little, together we accomplish a lot.

So consider what could happen.

  What's more, that 1.5% figure might be low. Many of the merchants offer percentage donations that are much higher. One printer inkjet company I looked at offered 13%!

Every merchant website you visit tells you right at the top what percentage of your purchase price will be donated to ACT! for America.

Just think what we could accomplish with an extra $15,000, $50,000 or $75,000 in our fight against radical Islam!

Get Started Here!

  I know there are many people out there who would love to support ACT! for America, or give more than they're giving, but in these tough economic times they simply can't.

Well, here's a way that everyone who believes in our mission can easily support what we're doing-at no cost to them.

It doesn't get any better than that.

Guy Rodgers  

Brigitte Gabriel to Speak
in Pennsylvania!        

Brigitte Gabriel   Leading Global Islamic Terrorism Expert 

CLICK HERE to view Brigitte's special video invitation!

It is my privilege to invite you to a special event featuring Brigitte Gabriel, Founder and President of ACT! for America. These events are free and open to the public and will be held at the following:

Ms. Gabriel will speak on the rise of Islamic radicalism in your community and in our nation. Her story of survival as a persecuted Christian living in a bomb shelter for 7 years will have you captivated and inspired! She will share how the events of 9/11 compelled her to start ACT! for America, the largest national security grassroots organization in the U.S.

The recent assaults at our embassies have been a sobering wake-up call to America. The lesson is that we should be displaying strength to our enemies, not appeasement which only demonstrates our weakness. Without question, the threats of radical Islam to America have increased.

These are just some of the threats Brigitte will discuss:

I am excited to announce that the new, highly acclaimed documentary "The Hope and The Change" will be broadcast on multiple cable and broadcast TV networks  - beginning tomorrow night, Tuesday, September 17th, on HDNet Movies at 7pm ET (click here for information on checking your local listings for the channel and schedule.)

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." 

With those immortal words, our Founding Fathers declared our independence from Great Britain. In doing so, the 56 courageous men who signed the Declaration of Independence pledged to each other "our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

Are we today a country that recognizes that level of commitment and sacrifice to the American ideal of liberty?

In Our Sacred Honor, former presidential candidate and Senator Rick Santorum asks this very question. The film presents a journey into our past that explores the meaning of our founding documents, the intentions of the drafters and signers, the origin of our rights, the differences between the French and American revolutions, and the relationship between the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.

Through reenactments, interviews with historians, experts, and on-location shooting, viewers are taken back to the time of our founding to better understand the principles of government set forth in America's founding documents and how they enabled us to create the greatest nation in the history of the world.

Buy Our Sacred Honor on DVD right now at our website www.OurSacredHonorMovie.com!

During the presidential campaign, Senator Santorum often quoted the two founding documents that bind our nation together - The Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.  Our Sacred Honor goes into great detail about what those sacred documents truly mean and so it is appropriate that we begin the full promotion of this film on Constitution Day. 

Senator Santorum will be appearing on Fox News' Fox and Friends on Monday, September 17th, at about 7:15am ET. Please turn in to hear him speak about this important movie!

This smartly produced documentary walks through the pivotal moments that led to our nation's independence and explains how, out of many, we formed a more perfect union. It was a pleasure making Our Sacred Honor with Senator Santorum, and I know patriots everywhere will enjoy it.

Our Sacred Honor is available right NOW on DVD - be the first to own this compelling historical documentary by ordering TODAY!

Sincerely,

David N. Bossie
President of Citizens United

Today we are excited to announce that "Occupy Unmasked"  will be made available on Video on Demand (VOD), on the heels of its successful limited theatrical release. "Occupy Unmasked" must be seen to be believed and now you and millions of others will have that opportunity right in your own homes.

The VOD providers carrying "Occupy Unmasked" include iTunes; Amazon; Charter; Comcast; Google Play; DirecTV; Playstation3; Suddenlink; Time Warner; Verizon FIOS; VUDU; Xbox Zune; AT&T UVerse; Cablevision; Cox; and Dish Network.

For more information on how to watch on VOD please click HERE.

"Occupy Unmasked," takes viewers into the Occupy Wall Street camps across the country in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Portland, Denver and Oakland for an up-close look at what's happened there and who's at the heart of the movement. Exclusive footage and first-hand eyewitness accounts tell the story of the criminal activity and raw brutality in the camps - much of which has not been reported by the mainstream media.

Featuring the late conservative icon Andrew Breitbart, as well as former leftist radicals turned patriotic citizen journalists Brandon Darby, David Horowitz, Pam Keys, Anita MonCrief, Mandy Nagy, and Lee Stranahan, among others, this film delves beneath the surface of the Occupy movement to show its anarchist roots.

Please check your local cable provider to see if "Occupy Unmasked" is available on demand on your TV or download and watch the film online.

Sincerely,

David N. Bossie

Memorial Lecture 

Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013 

7:30pm 

The Annual Jay Michael Swartz Memorial Lecture: An Evening with Michael Medved For Men and Women Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013 7:30pm *Pre-lecture dinner 6:15pm At the Glazier Jewish Center | 25 N. State St. Fee: $36   *Pre-lecture dinner with Michael Medved (includes lecture): $100 AMERICAN JEWS AND CHRISTIAN EVANGELICALS: IRRECONCILABLE ENEMIES OR INEVITABLE ALLIES? Michael Medved is a nationally syndicated radio talk show host and bestselling author. His daily show is heard by over 3.75 million people across the country. Born in Philadelphia, Michael won admission to Yale at age 16 as a National Merit Scholar. He majored in American History and graduated with honors, before attending Yale Law School, where his classmates included Bill and Hillary Clinton. Michael wrote his first bestseller at age 26 - "What Really Happened to the Class of '65?" - a skeptical reconsideration of the "counterculture" of the 1960's that became a weekly TV series on NBC. Many American Jews distrust and even fear the rise of the evangelical Christianity. They see this religious movement as a threat to the survival of Judaism in the United States and to the continuance of a society that values pluralism and religious liberty. On the other hand increasing numbers of American Jews view evangelicals as natural allies, not just when it comes to support of Israel, but on a range of social issues here in the U.S. In this provocative presentation, Michael Medved will explain where Jews and Christians already agree, and where they can never agree, in their participation in the ongoing battles shaping American society.

Dear Fellow Conservative,
 
Registration for CPAC 2013 is now open!  The American Conservative Union's legendary annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is scheduled for March 14-16, 2013 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center.    

Register Now for CPAC 2013
Don't miss your chance to help take our country back to the right.  To register now and reserve your space, visit conservative.org.

Join the Celebration
In honor of CPAC's 40th Anniversary, we look forward to joining conservatives from across the nation for CPAC 2013, celebrating the accomplishments of the movement while also energizing the next generation of conservatives.

New Location
CPAC 2013 boasts a new location at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center.  Complimentary CPAC shuttle busses to and from the Gaylord Center will be available at convenient locations across the National Capitol Region.  Details will be released in the coming weeks; please visit conservative.org for updates.

CPAC Past & Present
The ACU has hosted CPAC in the Nation's Capital since 1973, and it now stands as the largest annual gathering of conservatives in the country. Additionally, the ACU this year hosted two regional CPACs designed to energize and mobilize Midwest and Mountain West conservatives, giving them the tools needed to defeat the liberal agenda in 2012 while also highlighting rising conservative stars and issues in the region.  Stay tuned for details on 2013 regional CPAC locations!

Interested in Sponsoring CPAC 2013?
National and local partners are critical to achieving a successful event. CPAC 2013 provides an excellent platform to promote your message and network with the leaders and activists who are on the frontlines of the conservative movement. We invite you to review the special opportunities available to join the action at CPAC 2013 by visiting conservative.org.

See you at the National Harbor!
 
 
The American Conservative Union
 
Questions regarding CPAC 2013 may be sent to cpac@conservative.org.

Join Us on Fridays and Take a Stand for Israel:    

The Great Betrayal: Obama's Wars and the War in Iraq

Jul 18th, 2012 

Daniel Greenfield's new Freedom Center pamphlet, The Great Betrayal: Obama's Wars and the War in Iraq, is an effort to understand the politics of the "war on terror" which has now reached a final punctuation point with the U.S. decision to speed its withdrawal from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan (where success was once deemed so crucial to national security), and to practice an incoherent form of regime change in Libya while ignoring more serious threats in Syria and Iran.

The war on terror began, Greenfield shows, as an admirable bipartisan commitment soon after the tragedy of 9/11-an effort to transcend party lines not only to punish those who attacked our country but also to interrupt planning for further attacks and try to stop the international spread of the Islamic jihad behind the attacks. But the Democratic Party, with the honorable exception of a few individuals like Richard Gephardt and Joe Lieberman, turned its back on a war soon after authorizing it, and did so at a time when American troops were facing hostile enemy fire.

Although Senate Democrats on the intelligence oversight committee had been granted access to every piece of data available to the White House, they now accused President Bush of tricking them to secure their approval. In fact, their own about-face was entirely dictated by political considerations when a Sixties antiwar activist, Howard Dean, surged ahead in the Democratic primary polls and it appeared for a moment that Americans were on the side of retreat and capitulation.

Although regime change in Iraq had been official U.S. policy since Bill Clinton signed the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, Democratic senators such as John Kerry who only months earlier had supported the war effort now launched demoralizing attacks on the American commander-in-chief and his troops in the field, stigmatizing it as "the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time." If the truth was the first casualty of their war against the Bush administration, the second casualty was the principle of bi-partisanship that had guided foreign policy debates throughout the Cold War, the principle that "politics stops at the water's edge." Now partisan politics trumped security.

The unrestrained attacks on the Iraq War as illegal and unjustified went largely unanswered by Republicans who failed to call the Democratic saboteurs of the nation's war effort to account or to decry the risk their cynical attacks posed to American servicemen and women on the battlefield. As Greenfield demonstrates, the Democrats' partisanship had consequences not only in Iraq but elsewhere in the region: the paralysis that resulted from their "anti-war" campaign led straight to the destruction of Lebanon and the installation of a terrorist army, Hezbollah, there as a regime within a regime. And it emboldened an overtly Islamofascist regime in Iran not only to supply the IEDs responsible for most of our troop fatalities in Iraq but also to proceed with a nuclear program aimed directly at Israel and the West.

The Great Betrayal shows that Barack Obama's abandonment of Iraq is a betrayal of all the Americans and Iraqis who gave their lives to establish freedom in that country. And the result of his policies in Afghanistan has been as disastrous. While the President presented his rationale for pursuing war there as the pursuit of al-Qaeda, after abandoning his "surge" (which resulted in two thirds of all America's Afghan casualties there and the resurgence of the Taliban allies of al-Qaeda), he blithely prepared for withdrawal as if national objectives had been met.

Order your copy of The Great Betrayal today by clicking here.  

Go here:  

"Losing our Sons": Documentary looks at domestic Islamic radicalization and jihadization

Charles Jacobs at Americans for Peace and Tolerance announced today the release of a trailer for their upcoming documentary, "Losing Our Sons", featuring Melvin Bledsoe - father of domestic terrorist Carlos Bledsoe aka Abdulhakim Mohamed who gunned down US Army recruiter Pvt. William Long at an Army-Navy recruiting center in Little Rock, Arkansas in June 2009. Melvin Bledsoe testified at the House Homeland Security Committee hearing earlier this month.

The upcoming documentary discusses how Bledsoe was radicalized by the Muslim Student Association in Tennessee and sent to terrorist training in Yemen with the written recommendation of the imam of a Nashville mosque. It also discusses how the agents of radicalization in the Nashville Muslim community have been aided by collaborators in the establishment media, politics and the so-called "interfaith" community.

LISTEN LIVE TO REPATRIOT RADIO

"BETTER THAN EVER"

(all times are eastern)

Thursday 3-4pm "America's Black Shield" - Ted Hayes and Terrance Lang

I made up the following and have been distributing this to seniors.  This is based on the above article.  

Seniors better wake up to the dangers of Obmacare.

Carlo

From Forbes.com 9/27/2012 by Peter Ferrara

Why Senior Citizens Should Prefer Ryan's Medicare Plan to Obama's

• "...Obamacare funnels $716 billon out of Medicare to pay for a new entitlement we didn't ask for..."
• "...Medicare's Chief Actuary Rick Foster reports that by the end of this decade, Medicare will be paying less to doctors and hospitals for health care for seniors than Medicaid pays for health care for the poor..."
• "...Under Obamacare, soon enough seniors will be lined up behind welfare mothers in trying to find doctors who will see them, and hospitals that will admit them..."
• Because of the cuts "...In a few short years, hospitals that serve seniors in particular will begin closing, and retirees will have increasing difficulty obtaining access to care..."
• "...And this does not even count any further cuts that may be adopted by Obamacare's Medicare death panel, the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). That Board will be composed of 15 unelected, appointed, Washington bureaucrats with the power to adopt still more Medicare cuts that would become effective even without the approval of Congress..."

There is only one way to stop Obamacare and preserve Medicare for seniors :

VOTE OBAMA OUT and ROMNEY IN

RedState Morning Briefing

For October 18, 2012

1. 81 versus 62 is the Measure of Jeff Landry vs. Charles Boustany, Jr.

The Heritage Action for America (HAFA) scorecard, until the day I get around to doing one, is pretty much the gold standard for conservatism in Congress. The average House Republican has a score of 66%.

In Louisiana, thanks to redistricting, Congressmen Charles Boustany and Jeff Landry have been put in a district together. Louisiana has a jungle primary where everyone piles in together on November 6th and, if no one gets to 50%, the top two vote getters go into a runoff. The territory favors Charles Boustany, but conservatives would be nuts if they did not rally to Jeff Landry.

Jeff Landry has a HAFA score of 81%, well above the average for House Republicans. Boustany? He is at 62%. It's not like this district is going Democrat. We should be able to have the most conservative person in the district. If Mitt Romney does get elected, we're going to want to make sure we have as many conservatives in Congress not just to help pull him right and support him from the right, but to oppose him if he doesn't go right.

That's a simple reality conservatives must be mindful of. Jeff Landry is more conservative than Charles Boustany. Jeff Landry votes with conservatives more often than Charles Boustany. Jeff Landry is the guy conservatives should rally behind. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →

2. Obama Lectures Romney On Cargo Cult Economics

There were several surreal moments in the debate last night between the Democrat candidate for president, Barack Obama, and the American candidate Mitt Romney. While most are focused on Obama's stunningly brazen lie about his statement of the attack on our Benghazi embassy, the more telling episode showed that Obama is simply disengaged from reality as it is experienced by most people. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →

3.  We've Come 180 Degrees in the Attack of the Polls

The self-proclaimed reality based community is now where conservatives were two months ago. They don't want anyone to believe the polls The polls are all wrong. Nate Silver, supreme chancellor of the left-wing polling operation, is yelling that no one should pay attention to the man behind the curtain.

They are in a catastrophic cacophony of echo chamber talking points melting down.

The same pollsters they relied on for months to proclaim their God-King still a God-King show him hemorrhaging support around the nation and in swing states. The very polls that showed Mitt Romney getting a butt whooping now show Mitt Romney mopping the floor with Obama. They cannot handle it. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →

4.  Paging Mr. Oil, Mr. Gas, Mr. Coal: Obama on Energy

Much of Tuesday night's Presidential Townhall from Hofstra University focused on energy, and oil and gas policy in particular. Taking credit for recent increases in oil and gas production seems to be a particular obsession of President Obama's.

As I commented in my diary on the Denver debate, Mitt Romney displays an impressive, executive level grasp of the the salient facts with respect to energy. Tuesday evening, he summed up his opponent nicely: "[President Obama] has not been Mr. Oil, or Mr. Gas, or Mr. Coal." With a little less ideology and a little more pragmatism, Barack Obama might have forged a legacy as the Energy President. Much as Bill Clinton rode the groundswell of the 1990s internet boom, Mr. Obama might have been able to translate his good fortune into political capital.  . . . please click here for the rest of the post →

5. Latest Tim Gill Political Group Draws A Bipartisan Negative Response

Tim Gill's latest liberal political "527" creation, the Colorado Accountable Government Alliance (CAGA), recently came under heavy fire from candidates across the state on both sides of the aisle for approving what are being billed as slanderous hit pieces and political bullying tactics.

Within the last month, CAGA ran nearly half a dozen propaganda ads against candidates currently seeking office in Colorado. These negative ads were filled with outrageous and unfounded claims, causing candidates to threaten lawsuits and even prompting a local county government investigation into the newly formed CAGA campaign committee.  . . . please click here for the rest of the post →

6.  Gov Agency Tells People to Register to Vote in Wisconsin, Not Prove Residency

A loophole in the law has led to a state agency in Wisconsin urging would-be voters to register to vote for the November election without proving they are in fact Wisconsin residents, Media Trackers has learned. State law says that anyone who registers to vote 20 days or more before an election does not have to prove they are a resident in order to vote at a Wisconsin polling place. Wisconsin is a battleground state as both parties find the road to the White House and control of the U.S. Senate running directly through it.

On its Twitter account, the Government Accountability Board, a so-called non-partisan election watchdog run by unelected bureaucrats tasked with running elections in the Badger state, has repeatedly tweeted out links to the state's official voter registration form while helpfully noting that registrants do not need to prove they actually live in Wisconsin. "Open registration ends on 10/17 for the 11/6 election. No proof of residence is required," one tweet reads. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →

Heritage Hotsheet

Experts on the Day's Hottest News

Items for October 18, 2012

DOJ's Startling Argument Seeking Dismissal of Fast and Furious Lawsuit   

The Foundry

John Malcolm
James Carafano
Ray Walser
Hans von Spakovsky

Romney counters foreign investment jab by highlighting Chinese firms in Obama pension fund
Fox News

Derek Scissors

Rasmussen: 71% Want Voter ID Laws   

Newsmax     

Hans von Spakovsky

Obama, Romney Spar Over Immigration In Second Debate
ABC News

James Carafano
Robert Rector
Jessica Zuckerman

Latest Heritage Research:

ISSUE BRIEF
Fifty-Third Terror Plot Foiled Since 9/11: Bombing Targets U.S. Financial Hub

October 18, 2012   

Benghazi: Emperor Obama's Waterloo?
Daren Jonescu
It is fitting that in this Battle of Waterloo, the role of the Duke of Wellington, the emperor's nemesis, will be played by Truth itself, which, as Shakespeare wrote, will out. More

Obama, Oy Vey! American Jews Finally Have Had Enough
Stella Paul
"Two Jews, three opinions" goes the famous joke. And every day, more of those opinions turn pro-Romney, as American Jews increasingly reject the collapsing presidency of Barack Hussein Obama. More

Debate Shows Obama's an 'African' Stuck in the '70s
The Drive-By Pundit
When's the last time Obama was actually in the Chicago 'hood? After Tuesday's debate, it's anyone's guess. More

Fort Hood and the Election
Lee DeCovnick
Without a doubt, this commander-in-chief must be held personally accountable for the allowing this particular court-martial to be twisted, delayed, delayed and further delayed for base political calculations. More

'Eye Candy' Lies, and Candy Swears to It
Jeannie DeAngelis
After all the fuss, Candy Crowley's behavior at the second presidential debate did nothing to advance the feminist cause. More

O-H-I-O: BO Must Go!
Frances Twitty
It is possible for the presidential election to be won without Ohio. But such a development has been exceedingly rare. The outcome in Ohio could very well decide the outcome of the presidential election. More

Barack Obama and the Fundamental Transformation of America
Robert A. Hall
Barack Obama has cynically broken promise after promise. Unfortunately, his promise to set about "fundamentally transforming the United States of America" is one he has kept. More

American Thinker Blog

Once Again, You Might Be a Progressive Ideologue If...
October 18, 2012
If you're still wondering whether your friend, relative, or neighbor is in fact a progressive ideologue, here are a few more indicators that might help you. More

Rebuild America Tour Team Confronts Protesters at Grand Blanc, MI Rally
October 18, 2012
Behold the caliber of the protesters on the Democrat side! More

Tanzanian Muslims Burn Churches and Call for Beheading of 14-Year-Old Boy
October 18, 2012
This sad story of Muslims behaving badly comes from the Tanzanian Citizen newspaper: two 14-year-old friends, one Muslim, one Christian, were walking home from school in a Dar es-Salaam suburb. The Muslim boy told the Christian that anyone who desecrates... More

Israel Is Not the Arabs' Enemy, Arab Dictators Are
October 18, 2012
Arab dictators have long blamed external powers for their enormous failures at home. More than any country or historical event, Israel has been scapegoated for Arabs' lack of scientific advancement, human development, political and social reforms, and respect for human rights.... More

A Moment of Arrogance
October 17, 2012
Little things can sometimes mean a lot, and throwaway lines spoken while a candidate is fumbling around for an answer can reveal something about his true mindset. More

Romney trapped Obama in the Second Debate
October 17, 2012
Many in the punditry need to re-visit the section of the debate last night between Romney and Obama addressing the Libya question. Too many are saying Romney flubbed it More

Never let a Good (Gas Price) Crisis go to Waste
October 17, 2012
During the second presidential debate, Obama claimed that America is "drilling more on public lands than in the previous administration and the previous president was an oil man." More

Who Was That Guy?
October 17, 2012
There was someone debating Governor Romney last night who said he loved free enterprise. He loved oil. He loved coal. He loved natural gas and pipelines More

NY Times 'fact checker' needs his 'facts' checked
October 17, 2012
Convoluted attempts to wish facts away, to find fault with Romney where non exists More

Journalists as Professionals
October 17, 2012
Last night's debate was merely the most recent iteration of the American press corps inserting themselves into a story and defining the story's narrative. More

Cuba's new travel law a cynical 'survival tactic'
October 17, 2012
Cuba's new travel law is not an overdue reform, as the liberal media are proclaiming. It's a cynical survival tactic aimed at harming the United States. More

Romney Wins Debate on Economy
October 17, 2012
The president's retorts to Romney's powerful indictment of his economic record were diversionary and feeble. More

Candy Crowley: He Was Right

After the debate, debate moderator Candy Crowley said Republican nominee Mitt Romney was "right in the main" but "picked the wrong word" on the Obama administration's immediate response to the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, that left four Americans dead.

Holding President Obama Accountable

October 16, 2012MSNBC's Morning Joe panel starts questioning Obama's path to re-election

You Might Be A Racist

Rep. King: Rep. King: Al Qaeda "A Great Threat Than They Were Back On September 11th"

The End of the American Presidency   Oct 17, 2012 10:30 am

Candy Crowley's Benghazi Lifeline to Obama   Oct 17, 2012 09:32 am

Cyber Smoke Screen   Oct 17, 2012 12:03 am

Bulletin of the Oppression of Women August 29 - October 14, 2012   Oct 16, 2012 01:57 pm

Turkey's Challenge and the Syrian Negotiation   Oct 16, 2012 01:04 pm

RJC: Second Debate Highlights Clear Choice Before Voters

This statement appears on the RJC web site.

The RJC is the national grassroots organization of Jewish Republicans.

Issa: State Dept. sitting on $2 billion-plus for embassy security

Wake up, Europe

Read more: 

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

The End of the American Presidency 

Posted by Daniel Greenfield @ the Sultan Knish blog 

The American presidency came to an end on October 15, 1992 during a Town Hall debate between Bush I, Ross Perot and Bill Clinton. The stage of the Town Hall seemed more like a place for Phil Donahue or Sally Jesse Raphael to strut around, biting their lips, and dragging out tawdry tales for audience applause, than for three presidential candidates to discuss the future of the country.

 

The audience had more in common with the one that usually showed up to cheer or boo Sally or Phil's guests, and the high point of the evening and the end of the country came when one of those guests rose and with the distinctive painstakingly slurred pronunciation of the semi-literate demanded that the candidates tell her how the "National Debt" had affected them personally.

Bush I stumblingly tried to turn her stupidity into some kind of policy question, but the WW2 vet was completely out of his depth on Phil Donahue's talk show stage. The moderatrix however demanded that he answer how it had affected him personally. Forget the country or the consequences, feelings mattered more than policy. It was a Phil Donahue moment and the Donahue candidate stepped into the spotlight.

Bill Clinton understood that the Sally Jesse Raphael audience member did not have a clue what the National Debt is or anything about the economy. But he also knew that it didn't matter. This wasn't about the facts, this was an "I Feel" moment. The questioner did not want to know how a problem would be solved, she only wanted to know that the people on top "cared" about her, and Clinton did what he did best-- he told her that he really cared. 

Catholics now moving toward Romney, really? Gee what an honest poll can tell us!

Oct 17, 2012 06:13 am | Coach Collins

By Kevin "Coach" Collins

In 2004 I ran the field operations for Catholics Against Kerry (CaK). We worked hard at the grassroots level in Ohio Pennsylvania and New Mexico among other states. During the last 10 days of the campaign we saturated the Youngstown Ohio/ New Castle Pennsylvania area with dozens of radio spots every day that brought home the point that John Kerry was a phony "Catholic" who supported abortion on demand. The political wisdom about Youngstown's importance to the final tally in Ohio is that a Democrat MUST get more than 65% in Youngstown or he will not win Ohio. Al Gore got 65% in 2000 and lost. Our efforts moved Kerry down to 63% and he lost Ohio by almost exactly what he lost Youngstown by.

The fact that no Democrat has ever lost the Catholic vote and won the Presidency is well known to the political community. This is why up to now they ... Continue Reading:Catholics now moving toward Romney, really? Gee what an honest poll can tell us!

comments | read more

Pew report; polls are skewed partly because Democrat respondents are lying to pollsters

Oct 16, 2012 01:13 pm | Coach Collins

By Kevin "Coach" Collins

 A newly discovered report from  Pew (it was hidden since last winter) contians some interesting data on the veracity of survey respondents. Horror of horrors, Pew has actually said unequivocally that some people who speak to pollsters lie! Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, flatly accuses 60% of those who answer their surveys by saying they are "registered voters" are lying and are falsely claiming to be registered voters.

Pew also found that "likely voters" are not always telling the truth and point to the statistical impossibility of more "likely voters" in their surveys than  actually recorded votes in recent elections.  

In a rare moment of journalistic honesty, Pew pointed directly to Democrats as the problem because they are liars. This keeps pollsters like Pew from producing honest results they claim. Those old enough to remember the 1984 election will recall that when the polls were proved seriously ... Continue Reading:Pew report; polls are skewed partly because Democrat respondents are lying to pollsters

comments | read more

Heritage Experts Analyze Second Presidential Debate

During last night's debate between President Obama and former Governor Mitt Romney, Heritage's policy experts were live-blogging their analysis of the ideas discussed. Below are some of the highlights of our experts' reactions to the major points made.

Join us today at 11 a.m. ET for a Google hangout as Heritage experts discuss the debate with state and national bloggers. You can watch the hangout on our Google+ page. Submit questions-starting now-on Twitter with the hashtag #HeritageFan.

"Getting Tough on China": The Truth About Trade

President Obama said during the debate that he signed three trade deals. Not true. Obama was left three free trade agreements on his desk when he took office. Those deals and many others were initiated, negotiated, and signed by President Bush. The one trade agreement that Obama has prioritized, the Transpacific Partnership (TPP) involving now 11 countries, was also initiated by President George W. Bush.

What Obama did was to delay passage of agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama that were already completed. He did so to appease labor unions and others in his political base. During the three years of waiting for the President to submit the U.S.-Korea FTA, the U.S. lost $30 billion in exports.

The United States needs an energetic, committed trade policy. We need a TPP that is truly a free trade agreement and of sufficient scale to make a major impact on the U.S. economy. That means accommodating the world's third largest economy and U.S. ally, Japan. In means folding in other willing free trade partners like South Korea. And it means putting TPP on a timeline that gets it completed, passed and implemented as quickly as possible.

"Getting tough on China," something both candidates claimed to aspire to, is good-as long as what is meant by that is ensuring China abides by its international trade commitments. But this is not enough-it is not a trade policy. The U.S. needs to create opportunity with trade, not just manage bad behavior.

- Walter Lohman

Chinese Currency Manipulation and U.S. Employment

Governor Romney suggested that China's currency manipulation was related to business activity and job creation in the U.S. However, as Heritage's Derek Scissors showed, there is in fact little to no relationship between China's currency policy and U.S. employment:

[T]he exchange rate between the yuan and the dollar has no direct effect on American prosperity or American jobs. It never has. Seventeen years ago, China sharply devalued the yuan against the dollar. Yet American unemployment fell for years afterward. Since 2005, the PRC has been slowly raising the value of its currency, which is what protectionists say they want. And American unemployment has soared.

There are, however, other policies the U.S. President and Congress should pursue to return America to a place where businesses want to invest and hire workers. These include pro-growth tax reform, reducing undue regulatory burdens on the economy, and enabling energy exploration and production.

- Romina Boccia

Did Someone Say Libya?

The issue was raised in the debate: What did the Administration do about security before the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, and how did it respond afterward? It was the question that the President never clearly and explicitly responded to. When it comes to how the White House responded to the attack, the Administration has a lot of explaining to do. Its series of explanations was muddled and misleading.

When it comes to responding to the attack, Americans of course expect that our government will go after the perpetrators. The questions of how our government responded to the terrorist threat in Libya, however, still has to be answered.

- James Jay Carafano

Are Oil Companies Sitting on Leases?

Are oil companies sitting on leases? The short answer is no. President Obama made this statement tonight, and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar routinely makes this statement. But as Kathleen Sgamma, Vice President of Government and Public Affairs for the Western Energy Alliance, recently testified:

By looking at the statistics over time, it is evident that industry has become much more efficient over the last several decades. While we used to hold 80,000 leases and produce on 24% in 1988, we now hold just 49,000 leases and produce on 46%. Secretary Salazar's statements that this shows industry is intentionally leaving leases idle is tired rhetoric that fails to take into account the huge obstacles the federal government places in the way of oil and natural gas producers, and the fact that not every lease has recoverable oil and gas.

 Romney in 2nd debate refuses to budge or pander on issue of taking jobs from illegal aliens

DEAR FRIENDS,

There were a lot of revelations and nuances about immigration in last night's second presidential candidates debate. I have a lot of comments on a range of them in my blog at:

https://www.numbersusa.com/content/nusablog/beckr/october-16-2012/2nd-prez-deb ate-and-immigration.html

But this is what I think was the most important view we got from the heated exchange between the candidates on immigration:

Gov. Romney sent a powerful positive message to unemployed American workers in construction, service and manufacturing by refusing to budge from his long-term insistence on strong enforcement to get illegal immigrants out of U.S. jobs.

He did so in the f ace of a tough audience question about "productive" illegal immigrants and in response to attacks by Pres. Obama about Romney's support for "self-deportation."

Romney noted two primary ways that a country can enforce its immigration rules and said he rejects the one that involves mass roundups and mass deportations. Instead, he said, he would take away the jobs and benefits magnets and allow most illegal immigrants to come to their own conclusion on moving back to their home countries.

Obama, unfortunately, indicated that he opposes both enforcement options, except for deporting criminals who are "hurting the community."

Although Obama touted success in controlling illegal border crossings, he promised nothing to even discourage millions of tourists and other visitors from over-staying their visas and competing against Americans for jobs.

Obama inaccurately described an Arizona law as authorizing police to stop people for looking like they might be illegal immigrants and he accused Romney of saying that should be a model for the nation.

Romney disavowed any such position -- something independent fact-checkers have been confirming for months -- but said he does believe the model for the nation is the Arizona law that requires all employers to use E-Verify, a federal system that ensures that jobs go to Americans and legal immigrants.

Less than 5% of the seven million illegal immigrant workers are in agriculture. Most are less-educated and in construction, manufacturing, service and transportation occupations. The majority of the 20 million Americans who can't find a full-time job are also less-educated and looking for jobs in those same occupations.

NumbersUSA does not endorse candidates, but on the issue of giving Americans priority over illegal immigra nts for U.S. jobs, I found Romney's debate comments to be very encouraging and Obama's to be dismaying.

Today's Headlines:  Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Obama and Romney Strike Blows Over Benghazi

Federal Gov't Is Funding Police Spotters on Overpasses in Two States

CNN Poll: 46% Say Obama Won Debate, 39% Say Romney

Only CNSNews.com brings you the news the liberal media ignores! Please help us with a tax deductible gift today.

Israel Reports First Use of Surface-to-Air Missile by Gaza Terrorists

Mrs. Obama Promotes Birth Control Mandate, Then Says 'Every Single Child in This Country Is Worthy'

Justice Stevens: 'Maybe You Have Some Kind of Constitutional Right to a Cell Phone...'

Administration Sets Aside Space Larger Than Rocky Mountain National Park for Solar Power Projects

EPA Spends $1.2 Million to Provide 'Asthma-Friendly Homes' Training

Catholic Archdiocese: No More Money to Komen Because It Supports Planned Parenthood

COMMENTARY:

The First $1 Trillion Agency
By Terence P. Jeffrey
In 1965, when President Lyndon Johnson signed legislation creating Medicare and Medicaid, all federal outlays equaled $118.23 billion, according to OMB. In fiscal 2012, according to the Monthly Treasury Statement for September, outlays for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) alone hit $1.05 trillion - the third straight year they exceeded $1 trillion.

Reporters Say 'Libya, Schmibya'
By L. Brent Bozell III
Will the media elites finally take responsibility to demand answers about this outrageous cover-up of a terrorist attack? Or is reelecting Obama more important than demanding the Obama administration answer the questions about Libya?

Hollywood's Hysterical 'Cancer Screening' Lie for Obama
By Michelle Malkin
The Hollywood Women for Obama Club wants you to vote with your "lady parts." I want the women of America to vote with their lady smarts . The latest ad from a trio of Tinsel Town actresses spreads one of the stupidest lies about Mitt Romney this election cycle. Planned Parenthood does not provide women with mammograms. PP's "women's health" mantle is a sham.

The Second Debate: Post-Game
By Rich Galen
Short answer: Obama rebounded strongly in this debate. Romney was prepared and did as well as he did in the first one, but Obama's performance was so much better than last time, he gets the win.


NEWSPAPER ROUNDUP:

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

To: Friends & Supporters

From: Gary L. Bauer


COUNTDOWN TO VICTORY: 20 DAYS TO THE 2012 ELECTIONS -- 74 DAYS TO TAXMAGEDDON


What The Polls Say

Unlike after the first debate, in which every poll declared Governor Mitt Romney the winner, the consensus of polls this morning indicates a narrow win for President Barack Obama. A CNN poll found 46% of respondents said Obama won, while 39% said Romney. A CBS poll found 37% for Obama, 30% for Romney and 33% saying it was tie. But these results don't tell the whole story.

Even though viewers felt that Obama narrowly won the debate, it wasn't at all close when they were asked about the economy. The CNN poll found that Mitt Romney enjoyed an 18-point lead over Obama on the economy. The CBS poll was even worse for Obama. Sixty-five percent said Romney would do a better job on the economy, compared to just 34% for Obama -- a 31-point gap!


Romney's Best Moment

As the polls indicate, Governor Romney scored well on the economy. Time and again Romney brought the debate back to the idea that Obama is trying to make you afraid of Romney's plans because Obama has no plans, and that the next four years will be same as last four -- full of broken promises, bigger government and higher taxes. Governor Romney gave one of his best answers on the economy in response to a question from Michael Jones, a black man who is disappointed with Barack Obama's performance. Here's an excerpt of Gov. Romney's response to Mr. Jones:

"I think you know that these last four years haven't been as good as the president just described...I can tell you that if you were to elect President Obama, you know what you're going to get. You're going to get a repeat of the last four years. We just can't afford four more years like the last four years.

"He said that by now we'd have unemployment at 5.4 percent. The difference between where it is and 5.4 percent is 9 million Americans without work. ... This is a president who has not been able to do what he said he'd do. He said that he'd cut in half the deficit. He hasn't done that either. In fact, he doubled it. ...

"The middle class is getting crushed under the policies of a president who has not understood what it takes to get the economy working again. He keeps saying, 'Look, I've created 5 million jobs.' That's after losing 5 million jobs. The entire record is such that the unemployment has not been reduced in this country. ...How about the growth of the economy? It's growing more slowly this year than last year, and more slowly last year than the year before. ...

"You might say, 'Well, you got an example of one that worked better?' Yeah, in the Reagan recession where unemployment hit 10.8 percent... Ronald Reagan's recovery created twice as many jobs as this president's recovery. ...

"The president has tried, but his policies haven't worked. He's great as a speaker and describing his plans and his vision. That's wonderful, except we have a record to look at. ... That's what this election is about. It's about who can get the middle class in this country a bright and prosperous future and assure our kids the kind of hope and optimism they deserve."

The Biggest Lost Opportunity

The one foreign policy question that was asked last night -- about Libya -- should have been a slam dunk for Governor Romney. It was not. Charles Krauthammer said this about the exchange:

"There was one critical issue in this debate. The Libya question. Obama was at sea. He was asked about the security in Libya and Benghazi, he didn't try to answer because he had no answer. Instead he went on about how we're going to catch these guys.

"Romney, I think had a huge opening that he missed. Obama ended by saying, you know, 'I'm offended by the implication we'd mislead.' The obvious retort was, 'Mislead? You sent out your UN ambassador to mislead America on five television shows in one morning implying it's about a video, talking about a riot. There was none. There wasn't a video in this issue in Benghazi.'"

The biggest mistake in the exchange over Libya was for Gov. Romney to get hung up on parsing what the president said in the Rose Garden. Four people were brutally murdered. That is an act of terror.

The issue is whether the administration tried to blame the attack on a spontaneous mob driven into a frenzy by an online movie trailer. Or, as virtually the entire intelligence community knew within hours, was it a pre-planned terrorist act committed by a terrorist group, intentionally launched on the anniversary of 9/11? That central point got lost in last night's exchange.

There were several ways to salvage that situation, as Krauthammer suggested. Having been in similar settings myself, I know things can seem more obvious to folks sitting in the comfort of their living rooms than it is standing in the glare of the spotlights.

But if Obama really made it clear in the Rose Garden that it was a terrorist attack, and not a riot, why didn't anyone in his administration pay attention to him? Every one of his spokesmen said the exact opposite for days on end. Two weeks later before the United Nations, Obama said, "There is no video that justifies an attack on an embassy." He lectured the world about defaming a religion and referred to the movie.

Here the moderator, Candy Crowley, failed miserably. During the middle of this exchange, Crowley inappropriately "fact checked" on the fly, and declared that Obama was correct. After the debate, she said Romney "was right" about his main point.


A Telling Moment

Perhaps one of the most edifying moments last night took place off the stage and out of view for most Americans. Responding to Obama's attacks on his investments, Romney asked Obama if he had looked at his own pension account because it too has investments outside of the United States. Obama retorted, "You know, I don't look at my pension. It's not as big as yours so it doesn't take as long."

There was some laughter in the room. But eyewitnesses said that the press room, where reporters were watching the debate, "erupted into applause after President Obama ridiculed the size of Mitt Romney's personal wealth." The liberal reporters just couldn't restrain themselves when it came to Obama's class warfare putdown.


Conclusion

Governor Romney clearly won the first debate. This one appears to be a draw with a number of missed opportunities. But I think both events will end up winners for Mitt Romney. Here's why.

Governor Romney has been subjected to a $700 million smear campaign meant to convince Americans that Mitt Romney is an extremist, out-of-touch and mean man who doesn't care about us. But in two debates they have seen someone who is compassionate and capable -- in a word: presidential.

These two 90-minute events essentially neutralized Obama's year-long negative ad barrage. And they have given "permission" to millions of Americans to vote for Mitt Romney.
 

These Foreign Cartoons Say A Lot ....As published in foreign newspapers.