Sarah Palin, a great choice

Although my friend Tim Pawlenty did not get selected, I can enthusiastically back Sarah Palin for Vice President.

First, as governor of Alaska, she has more executive experience than Obama and Biden combined. She has shown herself to be good on ethics, even taking on the incumbent governor and defeating him. She favors domestic oil drilling, which would help on energy independence. She is rock solid on life issue (and lives it, choosing not to abort a child with Down syndrome). She is an avid hunter and fisherman, and supports the Second Amendment. She supports the military (and lives it--her son is in the Army and will soon be going to Iraq). Like McCain, she walks the walk, and does not just talk the talk.

Politically, she will attract women (particularly Hillary supporters), suburban hockey moms, union households, hunters, fisherman, and young people. Her western point of view should help in Colorado and New Mexico. Her reformist persona and her hockey mom image should help in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin New Hampshire, and Michigan. Truly a home run for McCain.

Tim Pawlenty, a great choice

I was a classmate of Tim Pawlenty and Mary Anderson Pawlenty at the University of Minnesota Law School. Tim was one of the first people I met, very gregarious but very down to earth. We studied law in the friendly boot-camp atmosphere at the U of M, and then headed over to Bullwinkle's or Sargeant Preston's saloon for beers. Tim was smart, and I was pleased to call him a friend.

We went our separate ways after law school, him to legal practice in Minnesota, later politics and the governorship, I went to Washington, DC. Like my other classmates, I have followed his career with interest.

Tim will be a GREAT candidate and a great vice president. He can appeal to blue-collar folk, evangelicals, young people, and Midwesterners. He is smart, ethical, witty, and tough. Take it from me, Tim is a great choice.

Hamdan sentence

The military tribunal has sentenced Mr. Hamdan to 5 1/2 years for material support of terrorism. The sentence seems light to me, particularly when the time he has already served will be subtracted from his sentence. The good news is that he will not be released upon completion of his sentence, because he can be detained as an enemy combatant until cessation of hostilities.

Of course, if Obama becomes President, he will probably let detainees go. He has said that he wants to close Guantanamo, but has not said where he wants to let the detainees go to. Release them into the United States? Put them in Leavenworth federal prison? Let them go back to Afghanistan, Yemen, etc. to plan further attacks? Let's hope not.

Obama and gas prices

One of the biggest factors driving the rise in gas prices is increasing demand from developing countries like China and India.

The only way to put a dent in prices is to either reduce demand or increase supply. Demand will not increase, so the only way to increase supply is to drill more in the United States.

Obama, however, opposes new oil drilling.

This and That

I love the new McCain YouTube ads -- "Celebrity" and "The One." They really show Obama to be an empty suit with an overly Messianic concept of himself. People like David Gergen don't get it--you need to define your opponent before the convention, and McCain is finally getting it.

I see that China is relenting to allow Olympic journalists more Internet access, but they are still blocking searches on subjects like "falun gong" or "dalai lama."

I think I am going to boycott watching or writing about the Olympics--the International Olympic Committee is a corrupt organization, and China is even more so.