Rescue Me

Byron York opines that among likely Republican primary voters in South Carolina, "None of the Above" remains the favored choice for President.  Oops.

...in the back of their minds, many Republicans are hoping that somewhere, somehow, a superhero candidate will swoop down out of the sky and rescue them from their current lackluster presidential field.  They know it's a fantasy, but they still hope.

It's not just dissatisfaction with the field -- Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum, Herman Cain, Ron Paul, and Gary Johnson -- that took part in the first GOP debate on Thursday night.  Even if the other would-be candidates -- Mike Huckabee , Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Mitch Daniels, Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Jon Huntsman, and Donald Trump -- had all been onstage with the others Thursday, there still would have been plenty of unhappiness among South Carolina's political professionals, activists, and ordinary people who just follow politics.  Seeing each candidate as flawed, they focus on the unattainables -- Chris Christie, Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio -- who they believe might bring a fresh face and new hope to the GOP.

Ok, I can easily believe that no one in South Carolina is fantasizing about Mike Bloomberg, but is no one fantasizing about Gen. Petraeus?

Comments

[GMAX]

Column inches must be filled, elst there be the dreaded white space. So while I generally like Byron and find him quite knowledgeable, he still is slave to the column inch nazi. This has to be one that he was bumping up against deadline with writers block.

[Jack is Back!]

Herman Cain may not win any primary but he and Palin are establishing the template any successful Repub will have to use to win the nomination and defeat Gutsy. Me, I am moving toward a Palin/Cain duet. Watch the liberal racists and mysognists show their colors with that pair.

[Ignatz]

--Me, I am moving toward a Palin/Cain duet. Watch the liberal racists and mysognists show their colors with that pair.--

Even if they lost it would be worth it just in the number of exploded leftists heads.
Of course, as you point out JiB, the sideshow of Uncle Tom, Little Black Sambo and stupid b***c columns would be frosting on the cake.

[(Another) Barbara]

Oh how I wish I could agree with you, GMAX (and Rush). I'm waiting for Mister or Ms. Superhero too, because I can't see a name on that list who could win against Obama. Either the press has already destroyed their chances (Palin, Bachmann, Gingrich), or they are stale white bread (Huckabee, Romney, Pawlenty). Mitch Daniels is shorter than most girls, and a dull speaker with a combover. I like him, but he won't fire up a lot of hearts and minds. Ditto the taller and more attractive Huntsman, RINO extraordinaire. It's going to be a rough election. Better to gird loins now than to kid ourselves about our chances, given the present options.

[Porchlight]

Even if the other would-be candidates -- Mike Huckabee , Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Mitch Daniels, Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Jon Huntsman, and Donald Trump

York initially left out Palin in that list, then added her in later:

http://twitter.com/#!/ByronYork/status/67575130456473601

[JM Hanes]

"They know it's a fantasy, but they still hope."

I'm afraid that's me all over too, (A)Barbara!

My son is moving to Hawaii in June! So I'll be heading your way -- as soon as he gives me permission to come.

[Jack is Back!]

Palin is the closest thing to a "Reagan" candidate. Iconic, liberal punching bag, last word sally, funny, strikes the cord with Us and the primer cord with Libs brains. Plus she reflects American values and exceptionalism more than the others. But can she deflect a hostile media, super-funded ad hominem and scandalous attacks by MoveOn, Think Progress, OFA, SEIU, and all the other Gutsy apologists, enablers and thugs. Unless Todd has more friends tougher thant the Chicago thug machine she will be Slutified and Hitlerfied to the max.

Time maybe for the return of the silent majority that Reagan had when he first ran not when he first ran for the nomination and lost to Ford. That gave us Carter like McCain gave us Obama. Tea Party is close to the silent majority but the GOP doesn't have an organization or campaign genius to capture the Tea Party message as its own.

That's why I think it has to come out of the corners and not the country club middle. If they nominate another Dole or McCain it is a cake walk. Gutsy will only have to pocket the billion he raises.

[(Another) Barbara]

My son is moving to Hawaii in June! So I'll be heading your way -- as soon as he gives me permission to come.

Oh goody! You must come over for dinner and we'll give you the opportunity to observe a native family at work and play. What fun!

What is your son going to be doing here?

[clarice]

If he doesn't give you permission,JMH, we could do a Lucy and Ethel type thing.. float about on a raft disguised as a cruise ship or something.

[Danube of Thought]

Or consider Trump, if you must:

Add questions about Trump University to the growing list of potential scandals for which Donald Trump may have to answer if he decides to jump into the 2012 presidential race.

Last year, the real estate mogul's school was forced to change its name from Trump University after the New York Department of Education took issue with its title, claiming the word "University" was misrepresentation. At the time, Trump was marketing his seminar program as an "Ivy-League quality" school.

But a current class action lawsuit against the learning institute--now known as the Trump Entrepreneur Initiative--begs to differ, the Huffington Post reports. The program continues to face accusations it's nothing more than a scam preying on individuals hoping to make it rich in the real estate business, purporting to make participants into "apprentices" of Trump and offer insider secrets.

[Danube of Thought]

No good news here:

Gallup has always found political independents to be most desirous of a third party, and 68% currently are. But right now there is also a significant party gap, with 52% of Republicans favoring a third party, compared with 33% of Democrats.

This is the first time Gallup finds a significantly higher percentage of Republicans than Democrats in favor of a third party. During much of President Bush's term, the opposite was true, with Democrats more likely to favor the formation of a third party. That gap narrowed in 2007, after the Democrats' victories in the 2006 midterms, and there has been a minimal difference between the two parties until the current poll.

[JM Hanes]

I'm not really sure yet, Barbara. Hometown here is really oriented toward married folks and families, which is not great for a bachelor. He'd been thinking about picking up stakes when he headed out to visit a friend who is living on Maui -- and who just happened to be looking for someone to rent a house with. I suspect that spending time out on the water with whales breaching around the boat, and catching picture worthy fish helped move the now-or-never decision making along.

It would be great fun to get together! I've only been to Hawaii twice, the last time was soon after Prince JMH was born. Aside from all the other attractions, it was the only place I've ever been where getting sand in my bathing suit didn't drive me crazy.

[Jack is Back!]

DoT,

Wait until his golf club membership is heard from.

Now ESPN is asking if Phil Jackson is the greatest coach ever in any sport. Things must be tough in the Chicago, New York and LA sport audience demographic.

[JM Hanes]

Definitely better than the old ice floe, Clarice! From time to time I wonder if perhaps St. Jane's doesn't need to be an actual island. Not bad for a raft, eh? Probably has internet too.....

[Neo]

[Rep. Henry] Waxman [(D-rodent)] chose to ignore a large stamp stating “NOT FOR PUBLIC DISCLOSURE” on a series of emails between Dan Grazer, the data manager for the NRC’s Yucca Mountain licensing program, and Judge Roy Hawkins, the chief administrative judge of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, and made their content public.

Grazer suggested in the emails that Jaczko had acted illegally in deciding to suspend work on the project. Grazer’s allegations have been corroborated by other senior NRC staffers in documents provided to the House Science, Space and Technology Committee.

Grazer also alleged in a Sept. 7, 2010 email that Jaczko, a former staffer of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, was stonewalling the publication of the third phase of the Safety Evaluation Report before the November midterm elections to ensure that Reid would not get “bad news” before his own hotly contested reelection bid.

[Extraneus]

As long as the MSM doesn't choose the Republican nominee, and that nominee takes the gloves off and goes after Obama with guns blazing, that person will almost certainly kick Obama's ass in 2012.

Personally, I'm supporting whoever the left hates and fears the most, which at this point is Palin, but I think there's an excellent opportunity for someone else to get in and rise to the top.

My present wager is that Giuliani will get in and the nomination will come down to Palin or Giuliani, and a Palin-Giuliani ticket will result and defeat Obama.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Navy Authorizes Chaplains to Perform Same-Sex ‘Marriages’ in Naval Chapels

I've been pretty uninterested in the whole same sex marriage thing, although I admit to some measure of ick factor playing some role in my feelings. However, this announcement really really gets to me on some deeper level. Is it because I was married by a Navy chaplain at the little white chapel at the 32nd Street Naval Base in San Diego?

I've been supportive of civil unions and legal partnerships for same sex couples, but somehow this crosses some line in my psyche or something. Intellectually I know it does not diminish or threaten my own wedding at the Chapel, but my gut isn't agreeing with my mind.

[MarkO]

Phil was great in picking teams to coach. Don't know about greatest. What would Jordan say? Same thing Russell said?

[Frau Quertreiberin]

David Petraeus? A smart, talented man for our time, but did his Dutch father Sixtus become naturalized before his son was born? What's troublemaker in German?

[narciso]

I'm no great sports enthusiast, but seriously with this selection, they go for Jackson,

http://www.nba.com/history/top_10_coaches.html

[Captain Hate]

Getting superstars to work and play well together isn't nearly as easy as most of the Phillip's detractors make it out to be; otherwise Doug Collins would have a fistfull of rings. As far as the greatest, it's all opinions anyway.

[(Another) Barbara]

You and Clarice maybe should plan on floating in sooner rather than later, JMH, if he's arriving without employment (although having a place to live is good). Your son may be an exception, but there are tens of thousands of young people who come here on vacation, get caught up in the romance of it all and move here shortly thereafter. After a year most have departed, replaced by the next group of tens of thousands. Too hard living here unless you have a ton of money, a family support group begging you to move in with them, or a solid job at a high salary, all of which are exceedingly rare.

But he'll probably have a ball while he's here and never regret doing it at a time when he's still able to be footloose, sans wife and kiddies.

Well, I'll have a harder time getting you over for dinner if Maui is your headquarters, but we'll figure something out.

[Extraneus]

Now isn't this interesting?

Osama bin Laden mission agreed in secret 10 years ago by US and Pakistan

US forces were given permission to conduct unilateral raid inside Pakistan if they knew where Bin Laden was hiding, officials say

Gutsy!

[Extraneus]

The New York Times Makes The Nerdiest Correction Ever

Heh. Instapundit guest-bloggers rule.

[MoodyBlu]

Sara:

...I've been supportive of civil unions and legal partnerships for same sex couples, but somehow this crosses some line in my psyche or something...

This has been my position for some time. Why do they have to call their partnerships/unions marriages? How about they leave the definition of marriage as that between one man and one woman and call legal partnerships/civil unions "spiking the football"?

[Threadkiller]

I ♥ Frau!

Rubio suffers the same potential disease.

[clarice]

JMH, I love he notion of residences at sea. Did from the moment I saw it. I still love to travel but I hate to keep packing and unpacking and waiting in lines at airports.

Just for you, I'll scratch the raft idea and take the guest bedroom.

[JM Hanes]

Barbara:

I'm pretty sure that's how my son's housemate to be ended up there! His friend's girlfriend is the one who has headed back home, though, hence the opening. The princeling mostly needed to get out of Dodge, where there are too few singles and way too many relatives. I have to admit that I'm actually hoping he doesn't stay forever!

I am sure to do some moving around, once I get there, so dinner will mostly be a matter of giving me a time and place to show up. If you drop me a a line at gmail in the next couple of days (I don't check it very often, when I'm not on the road), where I'm hanesjm, I'll send you my real email address.

[JM Hanes]

"I still love to travel but I hate to keep packing and unpacking and waiting in lines at airports."

That really is the primary attraction of cruises, IMO. I was arranging a trip along the coast of North Africa this fall, with an extended stop in Libya for the AbFab classical ruins. But never mind. I've been missing the windows of opportunity there for almost 10 years now.

[Blue]

Now ESPN is asking if Phil Jackson is the greatest coach ever in any sport. Things must be tough in the Chicago, New York and LA sport audience demographic.

He's a legit vote but I think Auerbach accomplished as much with less (Bill Russell would be a great specialty player today but Wilt would still be the most dominant player in the game). Another round-ball contender for the crown would have to be John Wooden (probably my vote).

Vince Lombardi - great but also a beneficiary of timing and personality cult. Is he really more deserving than Paul Brown, George Halas, John Madden, Chuck Knoll, Tom Landry or, gasp, Bill Belichick?

And, what about Bear Bryant, Bob Devaney, Joe Paterno...

Casey Stengel, Connie Mack...

Dan Gable, Edward Gallagher?

[Behind every great coach, there's a better one.]

Tex Winter. See what happens when he retires?
=====

[Blue]

No GOP hopeful will gain a commanding positiion in 2011 'debates' although some, like Cain, may be established as serious candidates. Mostly, the early sparring will kill off a few sooner than expected.

I watched last week and was impressed by Santorum, Cain and Pawlenty. The GOP field, IMO, offers good choices and will produce a strong contender. Paul and Petraeus (if he enters) will have strong appeal but not wide endough appeal to win.

[Ralph L]

where there are too few singles and way too many relatives
I knew Forsyth had stopped growing--I didn't realize it had become Butcher Holler.

[narciso]

Meanwhile, that troop hating, Koch impersonating sub Kossian Ian Murphy is waging
an internet spoofing war against Jane Corwin
in the 26th District.

[Blue]

Re 'authoriztion' of same sex 'marriages' in Navy chapels - I always figured this was a major objective of the push for the right to 'serve openly'.

Once same sex 'marriage' is federally sanctioned, state limits are doomed.

[narciso]

This is what I was referring to:

http://swampland.time.com/2011/05/06/jane-corwins-internet-fail/

[Manuel Transmission]

(A)B and JMH,
We are going to be in Maui the end of July for M/T Jr's wedding, so there is another shot at getting together.

[JM Hanes]

MT:

Will M/T Jr. be living there? I'm not sure my princeling will be ready for a maternal drop-in by July, alas, but if you'll have family in the vicinity, perhaps other opportunities will present themselves!

[hit and run]

Dead thread . . . but can't let this go...

JMH:
My son is moving to Hawaii in June! So I'll be heading your way -- as soon as he gives me permission to come.

My niece either just arrived in Hawaii or will be arriving in a matter of days.

(How old is your son,btw? ::wink,wink::)

She's not returning to stay just yet -- but has a friend at Hawaiian Air that got her a $79 flight! Of course, it is one-way, so she'll still have to come up with the money to get back on the mainland. But she does have plenty of friends to stay with.

The last time mrs hit and run went to Hawaii to visit our niece,it ended up costing me a fortune. mrs hit and run and her sister (niece's mom) did something or other that really p*ssed niece off. So much so that she kicked them both out of her apartment! So then they had to go find a hotel, then to ease the pain of a daughter's/niece's rejection they had to shop. And eat. And drink.

I think I'm still paying that one off.

[hit and run]

I still find it humorous that you get a captca-check automatically because your comment has three links even if those three links all point to . . . the very blog you are commenting on!

I'm easily amused.

[SusanWonders]

Sara:

I have the same squishy feeling about same sex 'marriages' in Navy chapels. Why is the Navy stepping into this? I have been supportive of civil unions and legal partnerships for same sex couples for a longtime. But can't the Navy wait until the issue is settled state by state? Does it have to shoved down everyone's throat without majority public support? And does it really need to involve religious institutions and be called 'marriage' instead of what it is, a same-sex union and partnership?

[Manuel Transmission]

JMH,
If you are still checking this thread, M/T Jr was stationed on Oahu (SIGINT) back in the early '90s, so this is a bit of a nostalgia thing. I'm just happy he's found his bliss after all these years.

Sounds like we need an excuse for a trip east.

[matthew49]

I love Sarah Palin but I think Jon Huntsman will be the nominee. He's tall, handsome, and, though I've never heard him speak, he must articulate if he's been an ambassador. He will look much better on TV than anyone else and, as we know, that's the most important thing for most voters. It will be harder for the major media to smear him than anyone else since he served Obama as ambassador to China. He's not really conservative enough for me but that will make him a stronger candidate among independents and Dems disaffected with Obama. We could do worse.