SLA: Volleyball's Hickory High

Let me take a moment to recognize the volleyball team at my old high school, South Lancaster Academy. Tonight, they will travel to Lincoln-Sudbury High School to play a district semi-final match against the 20-0 Warriors.

They will probably lose. If they were to win, it would be one of the greatest upsets that no one has ever seen.

But win or lose, the real story (and one that no one will know. If the Times and Courier, the Item, or the Sentinel and Enterprise report it, I'll be stunned.) is that tiny SLA has made the final four at all.

Consider the math. Here are the boys enrollments of the final four district teams from 2005, the latest statistics used by the MIAA to classify schools:

Lincoln-Sudbury 690

Marlborough 593

Milford 562

South Lancaster 37

The smallest of the remaining schools is 15 times larger than SLA. In fact, of the final 16 teams in the state, the next smallest is "tiny" Belchertown, with 336 boys.

The Crusaders are 15-2. Their only losses were to Wachusett Regional (871). Their victories included two over Leominster (952), the largest public school in the district.

The trip to the district final four is only the second in any sport. The boys basketball team went to the Division III semis in 1995. But there aren't three divisions in boys volleyball, there is only one.

The run will probably end tonight. Too bad no one noticed.

Tags: South Lancaster MIAA Volleyball

Whoops! Romney's goof gives tax break to rich

So which would be worse: if the governor repealed the excise tax on the Bentleys and other high-end custom cars that his rich buddies drive, or if he were so incompetent that Massachusetts's richest drivers got a tax break accidentally?

If you guessed for the latter, you'd be describing Mitt Romney:

BOSTON -- Some luxury and customized car owners got a free ride when it came to paying their local excise taxes thanks to a cost-cutting attempt by former Governor Mitt Romney.

The glitch, which undertaxed at least 124,000 owners of Bentleys, motor homes, and customized vehicles statewide, added up to $6.5 million meant for cities and towns....

The hiccup occurred in 2003 when Romney reassigned some employees at the registry of Motor Vehicles, said RMV head Anne Collins....

Romney reassigned the workers who had filled in the manual values, and the vehicles were either given a default value or no value at all.

Funny how Romney's screw-ups never end up helping the little guy.

(From the Sentinel and Enterprise)

Tags: Massachusetts Excise Tax Mitt Romney Election 2008

Bill Richardson needs to pick a side

You know, I don't really care which sports teams are the favorites of the politicians I support. On the list of issues I care about, allegiance to one baseball team or another isn't high.

So I really don't care if Bill Richardson is a Red Sox fan, a Yankees fan, or not a fan at all. But at least get your story straight:

Earlier this year, Richardson said that if he were not running for president, his dream job would be playing for the Yankees. Yesterday, on NBC's "Meet the Press," he explained: "I've always been a Red Sox fan. But I said if I weren't running for president, I would like to be No. 7 -- Mickey Mantle -- playing center field for the New York Yankees..."

See, if he'd stopped there, this would not be a problem. I mean, I'm a Bruins fan, but if I weren't sitting here typing on this computer, I would like to be Wayne Gretzky. That doesn't make me a bad Bruins fan. And wanting to be Mickey Mantle doesn't make Richardson a bad Red Sox fan.

But he didn't stop there, and that's where he got himself into trouble:

"My favorite team has always been the Red Sox," he said, then added, "I'm also a Yankees fan. . . . This is the thing about me. I can bring people together."

Oh, cut it out. That's not bringing people together, that's pandering. Besides, the right answer would have been the Albuquerque Dukes or whatever the AAA team in New Mexico is called now (it's the Isotopes, apparently).

Tags: Red Sox Yankees Bill Richardson Election 2008

Jackson's first Memorial Day

Michelle and I took Jackson down to the center of town to see Sterling's Memorial Day parade. Like most Americans, we have veterans on both sides of the family, and want to get Jackson in the habit of participating in these sorts of events as a way to link him to his heritage. We also don't want him to grow up thinking of holidays like this one as just another day off.

Not that we spent all weekend listening to the 1812 Overture, reciting the Gettysburg Address and watching old war documentaries (although that sounds like it would have been a fun weekend, now that I think about it), but we figured we can at least spend a couple of hours with the other citizens of our new hometown to honor our veterans.

I expect that Jackson will probably enjoy it a little more as he gets older. He spent much of the time whining because the 11:00 a.m. parade was during his nap time, he's cutting a molar and his mouth hurts, and he hates wearing a sun hat (the picture below is what happens when mom and dad give in and slather his head with sunscreen).

But he did find the flags fascinating, and immediately got the hang of waving them. I suppose that's obvious--I'm not sure what else you'd do with a flag--but in any event, he figured it out right away. He also decided the big red knob at the top of the flagpole was a great device to chew on and massage his sore gums. I imagine that's probably prohibited in the flag code somewhere, but at least we weren't in a place where he would get fined for it.

Jackson perked up when the parade passed. It was a classic small-town parade, with a police honor guard, veterans from the American Legion post, a couple of classic cars, firefighters, scouts of all ages and sizes, and a big red fire truck. There was also a marching band which looked like it had been hired for the occasion (the Al Someone-or-Another Band, I don't remember the name, although it was printed on the bass drum).

Michelle and I went to Lancaster's ceremonies and parade last year and while I suppose it's unfair to compare one town's celebration with another, I appreciated Lancaster's a little more. Instead of a hired band they had the high school band (of course, Sterling is part of a regional school system, so the Wachusett band may have been playing in another town), and they had a lot more "marchers" including all of the Little League teams, 4-H clubs, etc. They even had a kids club whose purpose was to put flowers and flags on the graves of veterans.

But Sterling is our hometown now, and the idea isn't to find the most entertaining ceremony or parade, it's to gather with our fellow townspeople to honor the service of those who gave their lives for our country. At least that's what we hope to teach Jackson.

What kind of Mickey Mouse organization is the CIFL, anyway?

We got a little inkling of the craziness that is the Continental Indoor Football League a month or so ago when the owner of the local entry, the New England Surge, fired the head coach and hired himself.

Well, it looks like the Surge might be one of the best-run teams in the league. Last night they played former division leader Steubenville, and beat them 86-0. Only the team that lined up apparently isn't the same Steubenville team that took the field earlier in the season:

In a telephone interview during last night’s game, CIFL owner and president Jeff Spitaleri said Steubenville played its practice squad players who “haven’t played as much, if at all” because its regulars were injured or had left the team to try out for Arena Football League squads. Spitaleri said he wasn’t aware the Stampede had only 13 players.

According to Spitaleri, the Stampede’s regular quarterback, Ryan Maiuri, separated his shoulder last week and his replacement, Ali Grose, served as player-coach last night.

Asked how playing an entire team of practice squad players reflected on the league’s image, Spitaleri said, “It would have been worse not to play the game.”

This isn't the first time this season a team of replacement players has taken the field in the CIFL. On May 12 a team from Springfield, Mo. refused to travel to Stebenville for their game, so a team of replacements was fielded there:

"[Springfield co-owner] D’Lo [Brown] also needed new players, and we had a list of guys who had either played last year in this league or had been at tryouts for teams in this league,” said Spitaleri. “One of those players has a team’s worth of equipment, so he ended up taking the lead and helping us organize the new team.”

Ali Grose, who played with Marion last year and had been with Steubenville and Summit County this year, stepped up with his own equipment and jerseys....

Whoa! So Steubenville's quarterback, player-coach Ali Grose, was a Springfield Stallion just two weeks ago? What's really odd, is that the CIFL Commissioner stated two weeks ago that Grose and his then-Springfield teammates were permanent members of that team:

“People might call them impostors or replacement players, but that’s not true at all,” said CIFL Commissioner Jim Ballard. “Every one of those guys was listed on the roster and was under contract for the Stallions.”

Brown admits they weren’t the guys you saw last week or the week before, but they are the new Springfield Stallions....

So two weeks ago, Grose was a "new Springfield Stallion" and now he's a new Steubenville Stampeder. He's not the only one. The Telegram reported that Steubenville, which only brought 13 players to Worcester, "dropped to 12 when receiver Alonzo Grose limped off on the game’s third play." According to the May 13 article on the CIFL website, "the Stallions had their high point when Ali Grose connected with Alonzo Grose for a touchdown in the second half" of the Stallions' 66-8 loss at Steubenville.

So are the Groses the CIFL's resident traveling team? Need someone to show up to ensure that the game goes on and the home team gets their gate? Call the Grose family. CIFL founder Spitaleri may think that “It would have been worse not to play the game,” but the fans who shelled out up to $30.50 for a ticket to last night's game or $165 for a season ticket deserved better.

And the sports fans of Worcester who have seen one failed minor league after another deserve better.

Tags: Massachusetts Worcester Surge CIFL Football

Don't dig in, Alex

With Curt Schilling on the mound tonight in a game where the Red Sox literally have nothing to lose, I'd say Alex Rodriguez ought to be light on his feet (some already think he's light in his loafers, if you know what I mean), after yesterday's dirty slide into Dustin Pedroia.

Pedroia came across the bag and threw to first base, just barely missing pulling off the double play, and was stunned when Rodriguez slid on the infield side of the base and threw his left elbow into his left side as he popped out of the slide.

“He went in late and kind of threw an elbow,” Pedroia said. “It was a little cheap but no big deal. I’ll remember.

Schilling will probably remember too. If A-Rod comes up with no one on or with a large Sox lead, I'd expect Schilling to protect his rookie second baseman with a two-seamer in the ol' rib cage.

Tags: Red Sox Yankees Alex Rodriguez Dustin Pedroia Curt Schilling

Just plain nuts

I'd love for someone to explain this to me. Apparently a student at Liberty University was upset that protesters might disrupt the funeral of Jerry Falwell. So upset, in fact, that he decided to take matters into his own hands:

The student, 19-year-old Mark D. Uhl of Amissville, Va., reportedly told authorities that he was making the bombs to stop protesters from disrupting the funeral service. The devices were made of a combination of gasoline and detergent, a law enforcement official told ABC News' Pierre Thomas.

Did it ever occur to Mr. Uhl that setting off bombs might be more disruptive than a little protesting? Anyone?

Tags: Jerry Falwell Liberty University protestors

Ted Kennedy is "awesome"

Don't take my word for it, take the word of this guy:

"He's awesome," gushed Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, as he left a news conference announcing the bipartisan agreement [on immigration].

Even though the Bush administration is happy with the bill, calling Ted Kenned "awesome" probably wasn't one of the talking points.

Tags: Ted Kennedy Michael Chertoff immigration

Better enjoy the Red Sox while you can...

...because it looks like slim pickings down on the farm:

Padres' Class-A team drubs Red Sox farm club, 30-0

LANCASTER, Calif. -- This minor league game quickly turned into a major rout: Lake Elsinore 30, Lancaster 0.

The San Diego Padres' affiliate put on a record-setting performance, beating Boston's farm team Friday night in the Class-A California League.

Lake Elsinore posted the most-lopsided victory ever against Lancaster. The Storm came close to the league mark for runs, set by Fresno with 34 in 1947.

At least in Little League they have a mercy rule!

Tags: Red Sox Padres Minor League

Ideas for Jackson's birthday present

Jackson's first birthday is a couple of weeks away and I'm wondering exactly what we should get him. His first bat and ball? One of those little Fred Filinstone cars that he can sit in and walk around the yard? Or maybe I'll just get him a gun. If we lived in Illinois, apparently it would be easy:

My 10-month-old son has the cutest FOID card.

Howard David Ludwig -- affectionately nicknamed Bubba -- received his state-issued Firearm Owner's Identification Card two weeks ago...

As a FOID cardholder, baby Bubba can own a firearm and ammunition in Illinois. He can also legally transport an unloaded weapon -- though he can't walk yet, so that's not an issue.

The plastic card has a picture of a toothless, grinning Bubba in the upper right corner. It includes his name, address and date of birth.

The FOID card lists his height (2 feet, 3 inches), and his weight (20 pounds).

His signature is superimposed at the bottom of the card. Bubba can't sign his name, so I simply placed a pen in his hand. He made the scribble....

Really, there's no reason why Bubba should not have a FOID card.

The program is designed to keep guns away from convicted felons, those convicted of domestic battery or domestic violence and anyone subject to an active Order of Protection.

My 10-month-old son hasn't broken any of these rules -- yet.

But why would the state police issue a FOID card to anyone younger than 18?

I called the state police, who said they followed the law as it's written.

"There is nothing in the FOID Act or any of the rules that says anything about age restrictions," said Lt. Scott Compton, of the Illinois State Police.

On second thought, maybe it's not such a good idea. If he had a gun, he might have hunted down the two wild turkeys grazing in our backyard this morning.

Tags: Illinois Gun Permit Infants

Who the heck is Jericho Rosales?

And why does this face recognition software think I look like him?

Don Adams, I can see, I guess.

"The stockpile does a great job" and other thoughts on tonight's debate

Well, it's the Republicans again, this time on Fox News and from South Carolina. Let's get right to it...

• One good thing about John McCain...if he were to become president, he would be a perfect fit for Disney's Hall of Presidents. He moves his arms as though he's an animatronic figure.
  
  
• Does Tommy Thompson realize that we're fighting in Iraq, not Ireland? He keeps referring to "Prime Minister O'Mallekey."
  
  
• Sam Brownback is going to hurt himself if he keeps banging his pinkies on the table.
  
  
• I like the bell, by the way.
  
  
• OK Rudy, if the terrorists are already here, then the argument that they will follow us here if we leave Iraq is irrelevant. Don't you see that you're arguing against yourself?
  
  
• It's interesting that Chris Wallace asked Ron Paul if he was running for the nomination of the wrong party. There was a time when Libertarians were more closely tied to the Republicans. Now people like Paul are asked if they should be Democrats.
  
  
• Jim Gilmore looks like he's wearing his Masonic ring.
  
  
• Oh, cut it out Mitt. You didn't "raise taxes" but you hiked fees across all state agencies. Call it what you will, but it's the same thing.
  
  
• Oh, ha ha! John Edwards at a beauty shop. Hee Hee. Did you get those cufflinks at Wal-mart, Governor Huckabee?
  
  
• For what it's worth, I'm distracted by cufflinks. They bother me. I've always seen them as a sign of elitism.... Giulaini has buttons on his cuffs, so does Brownback. Gilmore, Huckabee, and Thomas have cufflinks.
  
  
• Tommy Thompson: "The stockpile does a great job" but there are inefficiencies in "the stockpile." What the hell is he talking about?
  
  
• Ron Paul: buttons. He speaks with the most conviction of any of the candidates. With his brand of libertarian conservativism, he could be a factor in New Hampshire if he had any money.
  
  
• What a weaselly answer from Gilmore. He suggests that his opponents aren't real conservatives, then refuses to name who, suggesting that we'll have to go to his website tomorrow to find out. Grow a backbone, man.
  
  
• Tom Tancredo gives me the opportunity to run to the fridge...
  
  
• Commercials? Who goes to commercial during a debate?
  
  
• Mmmmmm, Frozen orange juice.
  
  
• Huckabee just said he was the first governor in Arkansas's history to reduce taxes. I'm guessing that's a bit of hyperbole there.
  
  
• Mitt: definitely cufflinks, if there was any question. He's talking too fast in attempting to argue his conservative credentials. He sounds like he's lying, or at least unsure of how his answer will be received.
  
  
• Brownback just stepped in it. He had a chance to align himself with Reagan on immigration and in trying to do so, he used the "A-word." You can't call immigration reform "amnesty" if you're for it, and you certainly can't accuse Reagan of being for it.
  
  
• Auuugh! Giuliani just told a crowd of white Sons of the Confederacy that he couldn't see how anyone could be in favor of owning slaves.
  
  
• Brownback thinks having an abortion would be worse for a rape victim than being forced to carry a child borne out of evil. Unbelievable.
  
  
• Giuliani is not very funny. Every attempt at humor has fallen flat. He needs to dress up like a woman or something in order to get a couple of laughs.
  
  
• There Hunter goes again saying he "built the fence" in San Diego. I've gotta say I don't believe him. I think I'm going to see if there are any pictures of Hunter building the fence.
  
  
• And I just missed Ron Paul's point on Iraq. Let me rewind...Ah, he just said that we were attacked on 9/11 because of our presence in the Middle East. Giuliani takes the opportunity to demagogue, and misquotes Paul. He did not say we were attacked because of our attacks in Iraq. But at least Giuliani got his sound bite. That will probably be the lead bite on all of the news shows tomorrow.
  
  
• McCain is still pandering on the Confederate flag issue.
  
  
• Tom Tancredo gives me the chance to put eye drops in. My allergies are acting up. And another commercial, how convenient.
  
  
• Cool, an essay question. Let's hear how they answer.
  
  
• Giuliani: Every method they could think of? So in other words, you wouldn't use techniques as outlined in our military and intelligence procedures, you'd tell our people to use "every method they could think of?" Scary.
  
  
• Gilmore frequently avoids answering the question.
  
  
• Tancredo doesn't see the irony about using any means, including torture, to save the US as the last best hope of Western civilization.

And apparently the debate ran long, because the DVR just shut off. Ah well, can't imagine I missed much. I thought Fox did a much better job that MSNBC did a couple of weeks ago. I thought they kept up the pace and spread the questions around. I also thought that they had some appropriately tough questions. I was especially impressed by Wendell Goler. Perhaps the Democrats should reconsider their decision not to appear on the network.

Tags: Election 2008 Republican Primary Mitt Romney Sam Brownback Mike Huckabee Jim Gilmore Tommy Thompson Duncan Hunter Ron Paul John McCain Tom Tancredo Rudy Giuliani

There are bad days...

...and then there's this:

TURNERS FALLS— Rescuers cut through a filtration tank of dense fish feces yesterday to reach four workers who fell into the sludgy dung while cleaning the tank at a fish farm....

One of the farmhands who fell was submerged in what [Turners Falls Fire Capt. David] Dion described as a sand-and-feces mix, while the other three had their heads above the sludge, he said.

And I thought it would be a good idea to read the paper this morning while eating breakfast.

Tags: Massachusetts Turners Falls Fish Feces

"I don't want to be president of a sad nation..." and other thoughts on tonight's debate

Tonight it's the Republicans' turn. Where the Democratic debate was pretty tame--the candidates essentially agree on most of the issues and are just arguing around the margins--the Republican debates could be much more entertaining. These guys run the gamut from pro-war to anti-war, pro-choice to pro-life, anti-immigration to proposing paths to citizenship. You name it, and these guys disagree. Hopefully the sparks will fly.

Just to get my biases out on the table again: I am a Democrat who supports Bill Richardson at this early juncture. The chances of me voting for one of these guys is very slim, but I'll be watching just the same.

And now live from the Reagan Library, it's Chris Matthews...

• Tommy Thompson got the first "good grief" from Michelle as the most odd looking candidate.
  
  
• Rudy Giuliani tosses in a "Shining City on a Hill"
  
  
• John McCain thinks the war is on the right track, terrorists "will follow us home." Democrats are for surrender.
  
  
• Thompson says we should get out if the Maliki government asks us to. He also is apparently for federalism. He thinks the civil was will end if they split into the 18 United States of Iraq. Seems naive.
  
  
• Mitt Romney gives Reagan a big smooch. We need to stay in Iraq now so we don't have to go back.
  
  
• Sam Brownback suggests we're partnering with a number of moderate Muslim regimes. Mentions Egypt and Pakistan. Matthews wants to know why the people in those countries don't like us. Just five minutes in, he's already doing a much better job than Brian Williams.
  
  
• Men with suits and silk ties vs. soldiers with mud and blood on his boots. Nice visual by Mike Huckabee. I'll bet he uses that one in each of his speeches.
  
  
• Jim Gilmore with another Reagan smooch.
  
  
• Ron Paul wants "non-intervention." You know, he could have hammered the rest of these guys. He ended up giving a good answer about historical reasons for non-intervention.
  
  
• McCain can't be excited about having Fred Thompson mentioned as the context for his question. He refuses to answer the question of whether or not Iran has committed acts of war.
  
  
• Looks like Tom Tancredo doesn't want this question. Something about the 12th Imam and bombs, no answer to the question. Boy he doesn't sound like he has the first idea what he'd do here. Maybe he'll just build a fence to keep the bad people out.
  
  
• McCain claims that Iran was so scared of Reagan, they released the hostages two minutes after he was inaugurated. What a crock of baloney. The Iranians had decided to release the hostages before he was released, they held them until the inauguration to stick it to Carter. (Fourth smooch of the night).
  
  
• Romney getting a question about his Osama faux pas last week.
  
  
• McCain says he will follow Osama to the Gates of hell. Many of us agree.
  
  
• Amend the constitution to allow foreign-born Americans Romney no, Brownback no, Huckabee no, Gilmore yes, Duncan Hunter no, Thompson, no, McCain maybe (only if he endorses me, probably his most honest answer of the night!), Paul no (Chris Matthews: "Oh God!"), Giuliani yes, Tancredo no.
  
  
• Romney can't come up with one thing he doesn't like about America? And another Reagan smooch. What a gasbag!
  
  
• Just tell us if you think global warming exists or not. The rest about being good stewards, etc. is a good answer.
  
  
• Does Tancredo have a plan to address shortage of organs? Weird question. Tancredo again has no idea what he's talking about.
  
  
• Duncan Hunter is a compassionate conservative who wants to show it by bombing people on the other side of the world.
  
  
• Roe v. Wade repealed good or bad: Giuliani: OK either way, ugh! Take a side, man!
  
  
• Gilmore says he supports abortion during first trimester, with limits. Good for him for not fudging.
  
  
• Thompson against Roe v. Wade because he wants to leave it up to the states, not to dump it altogether.
  
  
• Romney says he changed his mind because of cloning. Another Reagan smooch. Is it a flip-flop? Filibustering.
  
  
• Brownback with another Reagan smooch, would be able to support a pro-choicer if a Republican.
  
  
• Giuliani trying not to say he favors funding of abortions. Matthews has to go back at him three times before he stammers out an actual position. This is a perfect example of why Matthews is so much better at this that Brian Williams was with the Dems. He doesn't let them weasel out of many questions.
  
  
• McCain with what sounds like a closing statement. "I don't want to be president of a sad nation..." John McCain. He'll turn that frown upside down.
  
  
• What the...? Huckabee compares hikers stranded on a mountain with adolescent suicide bombers. Says the "culture of life" is what separates us from the Muslims. OK, sparky.
  
  
• Thompson thinks businesses should be able to fire homosexuals. Ooooh -boy.
  
  
• Romney: we don't choose a leader based on which church they go to. At least that's what you are hoping for. He's wearing a shirt with cuff links. That's always bugged me. I don't know, but I think I'm more comfortable with people who wear shirts whit button cuffs.
  
  
• Brownback: "Senator Lieberman, a Jew..."
  
  
• Duncan Hunter: "I built that fence." One board at a time, I'm sure.
  
  
• Jim Gilmore doesn't want to talk about Karl Rove. I don't blame him.
  
  
• Giuliani is going along to get along. He says he thinks the rise of the religious right has been good for the party. He doesn't think that, he's lying.
  
  
• Looks like Matthews has thrown his hands up and said "the hell with this." Tells Thompson to talk about whatever he wants.
  
  
• Tommy Thompson: "I'm a reliable conservative, I've vetoed 1900 things." I guess that says it all. Vote for me because I'm against everything. Another Reagan smooch! A big one.
  
  
• If I follow Brownback correctly, the best way to address the political scandals of the last six years is to cut the number of children born out of wedlock and clean up the language on records. Huh, didn't know Abramoff, Foley, and Cunningham were gangsta' rap-listening bastards...
  
  
• Another Reagan smooch by Tancredo. Has anyone said a centrist is necessary to win? I haven't heard anyone say anything about centrists? What station is he watching?
  
  
• McCain needs to stop pointing and pounding his lectern. I don't know who told him he needed to be gruff in order to look like a leader. He is coming across as an angry old man. A Reagan smooch.
• And another wet kiss from McCain. His first cut will be to defense. Huh?
  
  
• Too early to give the president a grade on Iraq? What have you been watching the last four years, Huck.
  
  
• Thompson smooches Reagan while evading a question on race.
  
  
• Tom Tancredo, who else should be the nominee if it's not you? Ronald Reagan! (just kidding.)
  
  
• Duncan Hunter didn't watch "An Inconvenient Truth" and he wouldn't admit it even if he did.
  
  
• Ron Paul, awakened from his nap, can't come up with a critical decision he's ever made.
  
  
• Jim Gilmore's answer to mothers in prison who leave kids behind is "we need to uphold the law" or some such pablum. Please, just a little nuanced thinking would be appropriate, unless you think most Republican primary voters are moronic automatons (don't answer that).
  
  
• Stem Cell research: mushy answer from Romney. Brownback, no. Gilmore, no. Huck, no. Hunter, no. Thompson, mushy. McCain, yes, and an unrelated smooch to Mrs. Reagan. Paul, no, because it's not constitutional. Giuliani, Yes. Tancredo, no.
  
  
• Romney defending the Mass. health-care plan. He's repeating himself. Market, market, market. Now he wants to cut capital gains taxes to zero. I'll bet he does.
  
  
• The problem with McCain's plan to give a $3,000 tax credit for people to buy health insurance is that it would essentially be a huge government giveaway to big insurance companies.
  
  
• Duncan Hunter isn't as clever as he thinks he is. The best thing about the government is the ability to bomb al Zarqawi. Har Har.
  
  
• Giuliani is hoping that he's correct about the difference between Shia and Sunni Muslims. He doesn't look like he's sure.
  
  
• Gilmore with a Reagan smooch.
  
  
• Giuliani refuses to come up with a weakness. I don't think that flies with people. We don't expect our candidates to grovel at our feet, but be honest. We can all tell you what your weaknesses are, can't you see them yourself?
  
  
• A national ID card, another bad idea. Hey, something I agree with Tancredo on.
  
  
• Mitt Romney with a "Gang of Three" reference, Clinton, Pelosi and Reid. There's a blast from the past. He ran against a "Gang of Three" in 2002 when he was running for governor. I believe it was Tom Finneran, Shannon O'Brien, and Robert Travaligni.
  
  
• Duncan Hunter with a Reagan smooch in reference to Schiavo.
  
  
• Ron Paul ends by saying he'll "never abuse habeas corpus." Now there's something I can get behind.

Tags: Election 2008 Republican Primary Mitt Romney Sam Brownback Mike Huckabee Jim Gilmore Tommy Thompson Duncan Hunter Ron Paul John McCain Tom Tancredo Rudy Giuliani