Leaving the TOTUS with an IQ of 110? Sounds about right to me, whenever it's not working he sounds almost as bad as Biden. Which is why they have to orchestrate even supposedly open forums like townhalls. If his academic record weren't an embarrassment you can be sure they'd be posting it everywhere. Since it remains hidden one has to wonder why.

Of course many Americans are unhappy. Maybe their Gameboy or PSP just died or the get no bars on their shiny new iPhone. I've been to some very impoverished places, the hinterland of Brazil, the Dominican Republic and some former Soviet satellites. In Brazil and the D.R., kids play with whatever is available including using an empty milk carton as their ball and a stick as their bat for some pickup baseball. They don't need the latest toys spoiled American kids demand and take for granted. In the Baltics and Romania, they seem afraid to be happy, no doubt a legacy from their time under the heels of Stalinist oppression. Maybe they're happy but hide it very well. The US certainly has more reason to be happy but it's difficult when PresO and the media tell you all the time what energy gluttons, polluters and torturers you are. If you buy into the idea you're helping to destroy the planet, it's hard to put a happy face on that.

I'm a fan of Sarah Palin for the same reason I was a fan of Ronald Reagan. Despite continuous attacks on everything from age/experience to brainpower, they refused to put their finger in the wind to see what they should believe today. They didn't waver, they didn't care if their views and philosophy were popular, it was part of them and they couldn't and wouldn't change. Compared to so many in the political class who switch beliefs on the basis of the latest poll, this is very refreshing. Sarah frightens the Republican establishment as much as she does the liberals. That's a very good thing because like countless others, I'm ready to throw all the bums out. I don't care what your party is, if you're in favor of big government and opposed to the 10th Amendment then you deserve nothing but my contempt. Lapdogs and RINOs feel free to switch parties, but who will you go to?

Nowadays I'm so disillusioned with the GOP I'm feeling more like a Libertarian, despite many disagreements on social issues - there's no good in winning those fights only to find yourself in a totalitarian state that arose while you were distracted. Go Sarah. I don't think she's stupid but she is new to many of these issues. She does show common sense and fortitude and that's better than a high IQ any day.

I don't agree that this would require abandoning core principles like pro-life and traditional marriage. I think that John was saying we'd be foolish to ignore more imminent problems like total government control of the private sector, mandated healthcare we can't possibly afford and further indenture to China. Do what the Dems do, when they ask about abortion, talk about taxes. When they ask about gay marriage, talk about the national debt. They always change the subject and we don't think that's fair. What isn't fair is our grandchildren working 12-hour days in Chinese-owned sweatshops to repay debt we're incurring now. Putting the other stuff on the back burner for now isn't the same as giving up the fight though. As the British were storming Philadelphia, wouldn't it have been foolish (and selfish) for George Washington to have defended Virginia since that's where his own interests lay? He knew what was important and what could wait, so should we.

They've had elections where they could opt for independence or statehood and so far they've declined both options. This way they have all the benefits of US citizenship but they don't pay federal income taxes.

It's funny but I don' t recall him running as a liberal. He ran from the label and anyone who used it was attacked by the lapdogs in the media. The fact is that neither candidate was conservative so it's impossible to claim it was a victory for liberalism. Let's see how he fares if the GOP ever decides to return to conservatism and runs a conservative candidate against the big O.

I hate to misquote Reagan but his quote that "I didn't leave the ___ party, it left me" is equally applicable to the GOP in the last two election cycles. Let Obama do his best, the next election will be a referendum on his policies and appointments - the first nominee appears to be just as we should expect. The man still hasn't stopped campaigning.