PALIN!

Not a single politically aware person does not remember John McCain’s surprise announcement of Sarah Palin as his running mate on August 29, 2008. The Democrat National Convention was wrapping up, Obama had made his grand speech, but all the political world was abuzz over the impending selection of Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty as McCain’s running mate. The surprise and expertly choreographed announcement of Sarah Palin was one of a few grand McCain campaign moments.

(From Red State)

One year later, Sarah Palin continues to be a top news maker and symbol of hope for many conservatives. Yet her reputation was damaged by the manner in which the McCain campaign handled her rise from obscurity.

I make no attempt to hide that I am a Palin fan. And I hope she can bring conservatives of all stripes together to topple the Obama regime.

A Conservative Action Plan for August Recess

Perhaps never before in the history of the Republic has an August Recess been so important for conservatives in terms on political activism.

Find out how you can help change the course of the present government at Columbia Conservative Examiner.

Plenty of resources and ideas are available.

But I Thought 'the Great One' Was Supposed to Revive Liberalism

Americans who consider themselves conservatives now outnumber Americans who consider themselves liberal by almost two to one, according to a new poll by the Washington Post and ABC News.

In the poll of 1,001 adults conducted between July 15-18, respondents were asked: “Would you say your views on most political matters are liberal, moderate, or conservative?”

Thirty-eight percent said they were conservative, while only 20% said they were liberal. Thirty-nine percent, meanwhile, said they were moderate.

The percentage of self-described conservatives has increased since President Barack Obama was inaugurated in January and the percentage of self-described liberals has diminished.

Read the whole thing at CNS News.

EXCLUSIVE--Interview with Conservative for Congress

In this Columbia Conservative Examiner exclusive, we have a chat with a true-blue conservative running against an entrenched liberal Democrat for U.S. Congress.

Click on the link above to read about Mike Yost, the kind of man we need to be sending to Washington.

If the GOP expects to regain the confidence of the American public, it had best be pulling out all the stops to support candidates such as Yost.

Tell a friend?

Conservatives in Political No-Man's Land

In today's political climate, one begins to wonder if there is any place among the top political Parties where conservatives are warmly embraced.

This is the subject of my discussion today at Columbia Conservative Examiner.

We'll take a look at the political landscape and discuss some core conservative principles around which all conservatives should be able to unite.

Tell a friend?

Why Conservatives Bristle

This is the era in which traditional conservatives bristle.

Limited government conservatives such as myself will bristle whether Obama fails or succeeds. The reason? The principles that made this country great are being abandoned.

And this is my topic today at Columbia Conservative Examiner.

Thank-you very much for supporting this endeavor by clicking on the link.

'A Note to Mr. Steele': SHUT UP!

Michelle Malkin has 'A Note to Michael Steele' concerning his untimely and poorly-chosen words in criticism of Rush Limbaugh and the GOP.

He even agreed with a commentator that the GOP Convention 'looked like Nazi Germany.'

Michael Steele is turning out to be one of the worst mistakes the GOP ever made in choosing an RNC head.

So, here is MY note to Mr. Steele: 'I don't know what you are, but you AIN'T a conservative! And we don't need you out running your mouth like the other RINOS who have run the Party into the ground. So, SHUT UP!'

The GOP is in disarray, but conservatives aren't. We are as united and determined as ever...to rid leadership posts of vermin who stand against every single principle that made the GOP into a viable alternative to liberalism. And if the GOP is insistent on continuing on this course, we most definitely will bolt and bid you good-bye.

The Best Part of Obama's Speech...

...was Governor Bobby Jindal's response from the Republicans.

No clearer distinction could be made between big government Democrats and conservative Republicans than Jindal made last night.

Barack Obama's speech clearly defined his ideology. Spend trillions of taxpayer dollars and expand the role and scope of government, because the citizens simply can't be trusted with their own money. This is pure socialism.

Bobby Jindal, by contrast, stated that individual Americans can do anything we set our minds to do...if only government gets out of the way.

This is precisely the philosophy set forth by President Ronald Reagan in his 1981 Inaugural Address.

Liberals, Democrats, and President Obama believe that only the federal government can be trusted to 'fix' things. Conservatives, Republicans, and Bobby Jindal believe that the individual citizens can do far more than they ever conceived if they put their minds to it.

Who do YOU trust? The federal government? Or the people?

10 Key Conservative Principles

What does it mean to be a political conservative in today's America? What does the term 'conservative' mean from a modern political point of view?

Confusion seems to be rampant concerning the meaning of the term, such as the tendency by some to refer to John McCain, Lindsey Graham, or Arlen Specter as 'conservative.'

Thus, I offer 10 Key Conservative Principles as the subject of my Sunday column at Columbia Conservative Examiner.

Take a look, tell a friend, spread the word, and comment if you wish on the site...even if you disagree with some of my assertions.

Thanks!

The Conservative's Dilemma: What About the GOP?

During the years leading up to the election of President Ronald Reagan in 1981 and throughout his 2 terms of office, I had been a card-carrying member of the Republican Party.

As one of the original foot-soldiers in the Reagan Revolution, I had worked within William F. Buckley Jr.'s Young Americans for Freedom, which advocated for a fair hearing for conservative principles on college campuses, during almost the entirety of the 1970s.

One of the goals of that organization at that time was the election of Ronald Reagan to the Presidency.

Thus, I was proud to be a Republican and a very conservative one at that. I was even prouder when I watched Reagan take his first oath of office in 1981.

The GOP during those years was constrained by the sheer force of Reagan's personality to turn decidedly more conservative, although the liberal eastern establishment Republicans, such as those of the Rockefeller mindset, grumbled underneath their breaths.

Reagan's resounding success at home and abroad came with its downside. There is an aspect of winning that leads to a certain complacency...and a tendency to forget the core principles that led to the fight to win in the first place.

Unfortunately, the GOP exhibited (and still does) that complacency and that amnesia concerning the principles that made the Party so successful under Reagan.

Since the late 1990s I have not considered myself a Republican. I have rather enjoyed the freedom that goes with being Independent. But there is still a big part of me that longs for the GOP to recapture some of the greatness it achieved under Reagan.

It was the Party of distinct conservative values and ideas. Sometimes these ideas were entirely innovative and creative. But they were based upon sound OLD ideology born of the vision of the Founding Fathers--limited government, individual initiative and responsibility, individual liberty that is unfettered by oppressive government regulation, and free enterprise.

And this brings us to the present dilemma. The GOP seems to have forsaken its core values. Sure, the voices for liberty are still there, but right now they are in the minority, and they are being muzzled to a degree.

The answer for me is certainly not Democrats. And no, it is not the Libertarian Party, either.

There is a certain deep resistance yet toward abandoning the GOP altogether. And this goes much deeper than simply a nostalgic wish for the good old days. There is a very practical reason. To totally abandon the Republican Party at this point is to weaken the conservative voice and play directly into the hands of Democrats who WILL use it to their advantage.

Simply look at what happened in 2006 and 2008.

But one thing is for sure. Conservative patience with the GOP is not an endless virtue. Sooner or later, unless the GOP leadership gets the message, we will totally abandon the Party in order to forge a new venture somewhere else that values the conservative point of view.

For an even deeper look at this fascinating subject, read Larrey Anderson's excellent essay at American Thinker.

A Call to Action

As to wishing the new President well (a sentiment invariably followed with the inane shibboleth “after all, we all want our country to succeed”), personally, I don’t wish the new President well in the slightest. And, no -- just like tens of millions of other true-blue conservatives -- I don’t want our country to succeed in the direction in which he has made it abundantly clear he wants to take us.

You see, I think Barack Obama is a socialist. I think that his much-ballyhooed plans to hire 600,000 new bureaucrats (for such vital endeavors as changing light bulbs in government buildings) is absurd. Particularly when it’s coupled with his announcement that the federal government already plans to run up trillion-dollar deficits from here to eternity.

And I think his maniacal obsession with redistributing the wealth by raising taxes on the rich (who, by his increasingly erratic definition includes anyone who works hard and brings home a paycheck) in order to reward society’s dregs and drones is insulting, insane, and in his case particularly puerile.

This entire riveting piece is available at Americans for Limited Government.

It is time for conservatives to tell the truth, to fight back, to hit hard, and to let the American people know we will not back down from our principles.

The Republican leadership has failed to do this. Some of us out here are willing to step up to the plate and do what the GOP failed to do.

It is time our voices were heard. We may have to keep screaming until they are.

Hope and Change for the Other Side

Now that it is clear that The Chairman and his Politburo will rise to power in Washington, it is time for the other side to consider the mantra of 'hope and change.'

Frankly, the only hope the GOP has of turning around 2 straight losses in 2006 and 2008 is to change direction.

Republicans must turn back to their core principles of low taxes, small government, balanced budgets, and a reduction in federal spending, or else they are going to get plastered once again by the voters.

Clearly the main reason the GOP has taken a hit in the last 2 election cycles is that they have acted more like Democrats than Republicans. And the choice of John McCain to head the ticket this year was simply one more big mistake based on the premise that the GOP must appear to be more 'moderate' to win.

On issue after issue, such as immigration control and securing our borders, opposing bailouts for large, mismanaged corporations, drilling here in America for our own oil and becoming energy independent, opposition to pork barrel spending, opposing the notion of 'redistribution of wealth,' support for tax cuts, and a host of other issues, Americans support the GOP by overwhelming numbers.

The problem was that poll after poll showed Americans were more afraid McCain would raise their taxes than Obama, the perception being that McCain is simply one more RINO who is just as untrustworthy as the Democrats on matters such as taxes.

Pat Toomey at National Review has an article that points out at least 2 ways the GOP can change direction and thus give hope to conservatives for winning in 2010 and 2012.

Second Amendment News Roundup for 11/5/08

Focusing on guns, politics, and news of interest, here is today's Second Amendment News Roundup:

From Mike McCarville:

*Columnist Robert Novak echoes my sentiments that Obama has no mandate.

*Sen. Tom Coburn says conservatives MUST recapture the GOP. Yep!

*Obama lost every single county in Oklahoma! I love Oklahoma!

Walls of the City poses an interesting hypothetical. Constitutional scholars?

Armed and Safe has a great post-election read entitled, 'We're Not Going Away.'

JR wonders how McCain lost the Hispanic vote since he has been a strong advocate of limitless immigration and soft on securing our southern border.

Days of Our Trailers posts 'Making Lemonade.'

Texas Fred has a riveting post today on the election, and I agree with him that McCain was a fundamentally flawed candidate from the start.

Alphecca reminds us to keep the powder dry because we're now living in a 3rd world nation.

Western Rifle Shooters Association gives us essential reading from Vanderboegh entitled, 'Resolved.'

21 Guns, Salute urges us to 'Remember, Remember.'

Insight on Freedom says that today we mourn the choice of Socialism over freedom.

From Codrea's War on Guns:

*Let the Gloating Begin

*Snuffy Pfleger is at it again!

*David's post-election thoughts in Gun Rights Examiner

Nicki provides riveting commentary on what went wrong yesterday. A MUST-read!

Robb Allen has an open letter to the GOP.

Breda posts 'Gun Nuts, the Drunk Edition.' LOL!

Michelle Malkin has a MUST-read on living under the 'G-D AmeriKKKa' folk.

As I predicted, stocks plummeted today on news of the Obama win.

Text of McCain's Remarks: Did He Succeed?

The following link will take you to the complete text of John McCain's remarks before CPAC this afternoon.

Did he succeed in addressing the issues most important to conservatives? Did he say enough to satisfy the concerns of conservatives?

I will leave that to your judgment.

As for me, I would say it is a mixed bag...but I was slightly encouraged.

Click here for the text of the speech:
http://www.examiner.com/blogs/Yeas_and_Nays/2008/2/7/Text-of-John-McCains-CPAC-Remarks

Will He Draw Back a Nub After the CPAC Speech?

John McCain will speak before CPAC today--the most influential and powerful conservative political action committee in the country.

The question is, after the speech is given, will McCain be in a much stronger position after reassuring conservatives, or will he 'draw back a nub,' as in, 'he put his arm in the tank and drew back a nub'?

Giving a speech before this group is sort of like putting one's hand in a tank full of sharks for McCain. As much as he has expressed disdain for many within the conservative ranks through the years, if he says the wrong thing we can rest assured that those sharks will leave him with a nub instead of an arm, or even worse.

In order for McCain to hit a grand slam at today's meeting he MUST address the following four key issues.

One, he must repudiate McCain-Feingold and, frankly, apologize for the manner in which this terrible bill has squelched free speech. He can do this and save face by claiming he did not know that the bill would be interpreted the way it has and promise that he will fight to protect ALL free speech.

Two, he must be clear that he supports only legal immigration. This means that illegals get no special pathway to citizenship, particularly in light of the fact that they broke the law. He must also make it abundantly clear that so-called 'sanctuary cities' are disgraceful and a travesty of American law.

Three, he must make a forceful statement in support of the Second Amendment....meaning, the INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS have a right to own and bear firearms. Stating that he supports Heller in the D.C. case would be even better.

Four, he must address why he wants to make the Bush tax cuts permanent when he voted twice against them when they were first proposed. Either McCain is a tax-cut proponent, or he's not. He cannot ride the fence on this issue and be acceptable to conservatives.

Glossing over these glaring shortcomings--in the eyes of conservatives--will not be enough, neither will stating that he 'hears and understands the concerns of conservatives' while issuing a continued determination to do the very things we deplore.

In fact, such a thing will spell disaster for his candidacy among the conservative base, without which he CANNOT win the Presidency.

Clearly, McCain needs us more than we need him. And unless we hear to our satisfaction that the candidate intends to take our concerns seriously in terms of public policy in his administration, he can kiss our support good-bye.

McCain May Not Get my Vote, Either...

Although I'm still not well, I felt compelled to comment on the McCain bandwagon in light of Rudy Giuliani's exit from the race.

In a recent post I stated that I could not endorse ANY of the present candidates in either Party, but that I would certainly vote for any of the GOP candidates over Hillary or Obama.

This was before Rudy pulled out of the race, meaning that moderate to liberal Republicans have jumped over to McCain. The conservative base of the Party is still split between Ron Paul, Mike Huckabee, and Mitt Romney, with none of them receiving enthusiastic support from the majority of this base.

This means, of course, that the moderate to liberal element within the GOP is having its way with the nomination process, leaving conservatives split and basically powerless, at least for now.

It occurred to me, why encourage the McCain bandwagon with assurances that he will get my vote, if not my endorsement, in a matchup with Hillary or Obama? This does nothing but encourage and reinforce his bad behavior.

I am not going to vote for John McCain unless MAJOR concessions are made to the conservative base, and that includes a complete repudiation of McCain-Feingold, an unfettered expression of support of the Second Amendment as an indiviual right WITH NO STIPULATIONS, and a promise of NO SPECIAL PATH to citizenship for dishonorable illegal aliens, who MUST get in the back of the line with those who are honorable enough to come here LEGALLY.

The ONLY 'path to citizenship' is the legal path already contained in the LAW!

McCain claims to have been a foot-soldier in the Reagan Revolution in 1980. If this is the case, then the former President must have rolled over in his grave enough times to creat an earthquake.

McCain's votes may have reflected the conservative principles of Reagan for the first 10 years of his service in the Senate, but since 1990 or so, he has shifted decidedly to the Left on various matters such as gun rights and free speech.

We conservatives won't have any of it!

Unless he reaches out to us with solid, verifiable promises to keep the conservative base of the Party intact, we will jump ship...throwing the election to Hillary or Obama. I have come to the conclusion that only such a threat will get the attention of the numbskulls who now run the GOP and who are running as fast as they can away from the Reagan Coalition.

On the Presiential ballot, one can add a write-in. A movement has begun in South Carolina to do exactly that. They are calling themselves 'The Conservative Party,' and they plan to type or write in the name of Fred Thompson on the ballot.

I just may well do that.

If McCain chooses Fred Thompson as his running mate, that would be a great development, but McCain himself is going to have to personally address the conservative base of the GOP to make assurances that he will not throw us under the bus when it comes to taxes, illegal aliens, gun rights, and free speech.

If he cannot do that, then even Thompson on the ballot won't be enough.

Illness has caused me to do a lot of thinking over the past four days. And I have determined that I'll be damned before I let a group of turncoat RINOS destroy the Reagan Coalition without a fight.

The Dobson Snub of Fred Thompson

Washington, DC (TLS). Evangelical Christian leader James Dobson recently stated that while Fred Thompson is definitely conservative and espouses views that Dobson's listeners support, there are concerns about 'whether or not he is a Christian.'

Former U.S. Senator and actor Fred Thompson has suggested in recent days that he would consider entering the race for the Republican Presidential nomination.

Thompson's announcement has enlivened disheartened conservatives who have lamented the lack of viable conservative candidates in the Republican field. In the two weeks or so since Thompson indicated he may run, there has been a 'draft Fred Thompson' movement afoot among Republicans, including some with far-reaching influence and deep pockets.

Dobson, however, expressed hesitation over the possibility.

No doubt Dobson's listeners value a Christian candidate. As the most widely influential evangelical Christian on the scene today, Dobson's radio program, 'Focus on the Family,' is carried by over 2000 radio stations and boasts an audience of over 40 million listeners, most of whom are very politically active and support candidates who espouse traditional values.

Dobson's presumption that Thompson is not a Christian seems a bit over the top, however.

A Thompson spokesman responded to Dobson's remarks by stating that Thompson is, indeed, a Christian, having been baptized into the Church of Christ. A Dobson spokesman clarified the evangelical leader's remarks by stating that Dobson was not suggesting that the group to which Thompson belonged was not Christian but that Thompson had never spoken openly about his faith.

Evangelical Christians believe it is vital that followers of Christ give verbal assent to their faith. However, historically this has never been viewed as a license to pass judgment on a person's faith or lack thereof. Those matters are usually left up to the individual and God.

It is no secret that Dobson prefers Newt Gingrich, who recently confessed to Dobson's audience that he had an adulterous affair while serving as Speaker of the House. However, Newt has some negative baggage. Gun Owners of America is rather cool toward a Gingrich candidacy due to the difficulty of getting the Speaker to place on the docket bills of vital interest to gun owners. In addition, outside of conservative Republican circles, Newt's negatives tend to be rather high.

This is not to say that Newt would be snubbed by Republicans if he threw his hat into the ring or that he would not make inroads into the general population. He is certainly intelligent and articulate enough to bring people on board with him.

Yet so far no conservative candidate has created the excitement and the 'buzz' that Thompson has managed to create by merely suggesting that he 'might' run. Columnist Mona Charen wrote today that there are numerous reasons that a Thompson candidacy may be the only viable hope for a Republican win in 2008, not the least of which is his appeal to independents.

The bottom line is that Dobson's analysis of Fred Thompson's faith may not be a very important factor, not even to Dobson's listeners. Evangelical Christian voters today are intelligent, informed, and well-read. Their level of sophistication is such that an opinion expressed by a beloved evangelical leader will be viewed as nothing more than just that--an opinion.

Conservative voters are well-aware of the nature of politics. They are not looking for sainthood but for someone who shares their values, their ideals, their world-view. Above all they want someone who respects their faith.

Absolutely nothing in Fred Thompson's history or political career even remotely suggests that his views will not resonate with the vast majority of conservative evangelical voters.

Enter Fred Thompson

Washington, DC (TLS). On Fox News this Sunday morning, former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson stated that he has thought about throwing his hat into the ring for the Republican Presidential nomination. Denying that his entry into the race would be a statement about the quality of Republican candidates, or the lack thereof, Thompson insists that he is considering the possibility of running because his views need a hearing.

And there is no doubt a Thompson candidacy will gain a hearing for his views.

Thompson is a long-time movie actor and television star, currently appearing as a regular cast member of 'Law and Order.' He also served his home state of Tennessee with distinction as a conservative Republican in the U.S. Senate.

Wherever Thompson goes there is an entourage of news media personnel, giving the former Senator a 'star quality' that is on the same par as that of Barack Hussein Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Thompson insists that he is in no big hurry to make an announcement, in spite of dire warnings from pundits such as Dick Morris that any candidate who announces as late as Labor Day will not have enough time to build the 100-million-dollar war chest he/she will need by Jan. 1, 2008 in order to run a competitive campaign.

In Thompson's case, however, there may be an exception.

He has instant name recognition. He has star quality. He generates excitement and energy wherever he goes and would have no problem raising multi-mega-bucks in short order.

The thing that is different about Thompson's so-called 'star quality,' however, is that he is basically a non-controversial figure. He is a politician in the pure Tennessean tradition. Tennesseans like for their politicians to be low-keyed, solid, consistent, trustworthy. Thompson is all of this and more. He has the ability to create excitement without appearing the least bit shallow or 'camera-hungry.'

Thompson has that cool-as-a-cucumber 'gravitas' that one needs to be taken seriously.

Enough about his persona and on to his views on the issues. Thompson is a solid conservative in the Reagan tradition. He is pro-life, pro-gun, pro-traditional marriage, pro-defense, pro-low taxes. The only thing we do not know for sure is his current stance on the nation's immigration nightmare. If he stands for enforcing the laws against illegal aliens, as prescribed in the United States Code, then conservatives will most definitely have yet another candidate they can support whole-heartedly.

The possibility that Fred Thompson could enter this race changes the entire scenario. If he decides to run, you can throw out all of your pre-conceived notions about 'front-runners' so far. It's a whole new ballgame.

The Dick Cheney Factor

Washington, DC (TLS). Despite assurances from the U.S. military that Vice-President Dick Cheney was not the target of an assassination attempt yesterday during a trip to Afghanistan, the Taliban wasted no time claiming that the Vice-President was, indeed, a target. Cheney himself has made it clear that he believes that he was a target and that the attack occurred in close proximity, so close in fact that Cheney says he heard an extremely loud boom. This is all in spite of the military's official statement that Cheney was 'well out of danger when the attack occurred.'

Taliban leaders stated late yesterday that they had full knowledge of the Vice-President's itinerary and his whereabouts.

I will make no attempt to prove or disprove an assassination attempt against Cheney here. I simply take the Taliban at its word. It is no secret that both the Taliban and Al Qaeda would consider the assassination of either Cheney or Bush to be a great triumph of extremist Islam. Thus, we can be thankful that Cheney narrowly escaped the murderous clutches of one of the most dangerous terrorist organizations in the world.

Not everyone in America shares those sentiments, however.

In November of last year, the Huffington website posted a poem in the form of a prayer. The subject of the poem was a man who was praying for the death of Dick Cheney, the result of a massive heart-attack. Numerous conservative columnists and bloggers screamed to high heaven about the despicable display, and Huffington eventually took down the poem from her site.

Yesterday, however, various and sundry extremist Leftist bloggers began their verbal carnage once again, lamenting the fact that Cheney did not die in the assassination attempt in Afghanistan.

One such blogger wrote that he could not ascertain whether it would be better for Cheney to be assassinated, since obviously conservatives would use his martyrdom to sing his praises, or for Cheney to live so that he can eventually be brutally dragged through the mud in the wake of charges of 'crimes against humanity.' The mere fact that a blogger would even be musing about such a dreadful and inhumane subject is a chilling example of just how far into the abyss the Left has fallen.

There was a time in America when treason and sedition were vigorously prosecuted.

Those days are no more. America seems to have as many enemies among its own citizens as it does among terrorists overseas.

Has it occurred to all of you as it has to me that each and every outrageously hateful and extremist position that is taken by terrorists seems to be echoed by the far-Left in this country? With some of our own citizens writing on the Internet that they are sorry that Cheney was not assassinated, apparently we have as much to fear from them as we do the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

Therefore, this column is dedicated to the honor of Vice President Dick Cheney, the man that most of us conservatives wish were President. If ever there were a consistently brave, patriotic voice in this government, it is that of Dick Cheney. He has stood his ground in the face of stinging opposition. He has been a bold soldier in the fight for liberty and justice in the face of terrorism. He has not hesitated to point out the irrationality and hypocrisy of Leftists in Congress, pointedly at times.

I for one am proud to call him my Vice President, and The Liberty Sphere is thankful that his life was spared in the wake of an assassination attempt by some of the most despicable human beings on the planet.

And the Leftists in this country who hailed the attempt on Cheney's life fall into a category even lower than the terrorists. They are ours, and yet they say such things. They are scum-bags who are to be loathed.

Conservatives Warn John McCain

Washington, DC (TLS). A coalition of conservative groups has warned Republican Presidential candidate John McCain concerning his support for measures that would eliminate so-called '527s'--those groups that were created after the McCain-Feingold law to silence free speech went into effect. 527s began to spring up as a direct result of the provisions of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform law, which had the chilling effect of silencing free political speech. The 527s found a loophole in the law which allowed them to raise funds for candidates and policy measures without having to adhere to the provisions of McCain-Feingold.

The Liberty Sphere has learned that McCain has sponsored legislation that will effectively put an end to 527 organizations. We also happen to know that McCain has accepted contributions from these very organizations that he claims to stand against.

Hence, the conservative coalition sent McCain a warning--stop with the senseless attempts to silence free political speech or face defections from the ranks of supporters. In short, McCain supporters can easily go elsewhere, withdrawing their support from McCain entirely.

The Liberty Sphere thinks that such withdrawals of support are long overdue. McCain has made no friends among those of us who stand solidly for free speech and 2nd Amendment rights. Not only did he and Liberal Democrat Russ Feingold fleece the American public by passing severe restrictions on free political speech in the name of 'campaign finance reform,' but he also co-sponsored a bill earlier this year that would have silenced bloggers who encourage citizens to contact their lawmakers concerning pending legislation, unless those bloggers get 'permission' from Congress first. Ultra-Liberals Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Ted Kennedy, Hillary Clinton, Barack Hussein Obama, and a host of other Democrats supported this measure, which was defeated by an amendment offered by Senator McConnell and others that stopped the ominous Nazi-like assault on speech.

And this is not all. McCain is given the lowest rating possible by Gun Owners of America, which has graded him with an 'F-' on gun rights.

Of course, McCain is not alone on that score. ALL of the top tier Presidential candidates in both Parties have also garnered an 'F-', including Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani, Barack Hussein Obama, and others. Even Mitt Romney's support for gun rights has been tentative through the years.

Conservatives are quietly looking for a place to land as they look ahead to the 2008 Presidential election. Clearly as it stands now, most of us who refer to ourselves as Conservative/libertarian voters are mentally marking 'none of the above' when it comes to the leading contenders in both Parties. Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Barack Obama, and Mitt Romney simply do not have the solid conservative track record to win the support of most of us, particularly those who live in the heartland, the South, and the western Mountain states.

We are whistling in the dark if we expect John McCain in particular, who has a long track record of votes in the Senate, to suddenly change his ideological core. While McCain can be admired for his unwavering support of the War on Terror, including its tributary in Iraq, conservatives find him hard to stomach on just about every other issue.

In short, I really do not expect him to heed any warning from conservatives.

Read more of the warning to McCain here:
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200702/POL20070214b.html