Political Quick Hits

In the tradition of Steve Buie....I am going to write down several random thoughts about the political and news world around us.
*Swine Flu--This whole swine flu epidemic is so overrated. Last Wednesday and Sunday I have had to look at frightened senior citizens stirred up by the news about swine flu that I think they might even cry. So far in America there has been one death because of the swine flu. There are about 20 people each day that die from the regular flu. We don't need to shut down and disinfect schools. We don't need to avoid travel. We have become so uncourageous as a nation, even in the face of a new strain of the flu, that it sickens me.
*Joe Biden--Really should focus on advising the President instead of trying to do PR work for him. Avoid all subways, planes, and any other places. What the heck? Does Vice President Biden need a day off already.
*Obama's First 100 Day--How many prime-time news conferences is President Obama going to have? Thank goodness this one was on Wednesday, and I was at church.
*Torture Debate--I think the President has handled the issue very well. He has at one point correctly challenged the Bush approach to torture and imprisonment. Yet, he is not planning on calling the former administration criminal, or prosecuting them for their actions. He has correctly condemned inproper behavior, while not letting the loony left destroy the executive branch of government.
*Republican Leadership--The current conservative leadership is awful. Michael Steele has been a humiliating figure for the Republican party. Congressional leadership of conservatives has been irrational and angry. Democrats have lost a lot of elections in the last 30 years by being whiney and contrarians without a message. Now the Republicans are in danger of doing the same.
Sen. Arlen Specter--I think this is very interesting. Because it proves what I felt as a Republican in the last several years. More and more, the Republican party is becoming anti-intellectual. It is also making people be very conservative in order to lead the rest of the party, or encouraging them to leave. A sure recipe for a bigger defeat if they don't get their act together.