Hillary Clinton won the Indiana primary in a surprisingly close vote while Obama took North Carolina by 14% points. Many Democrat leaders are pressing Clinton to give it up thereby allowing Obama to get the nomination of their party before its scheduled convention. She remains adamant, however, which likely means a convention battle unless the super-delegates announce their support before hand. Even then it could be a split with neither candidate gaining enough to claim the nomination. In any case, by waiting for the super-delegates to declare their support, she hopes to learn what she must do if Obama is the winner which is to prepare for a run in 2012. I don't think she will accept the #2 spot on an Obama ticket were it offered to her.

Obama remains an enigma in that he has really said very little about the policies he would follow if elected. That in itself ought to cause voter concern. That lack of specificity supports the contention of some that he's a "Manchurian" candidate. I disagree with most of Clinton's positions, but at least you know quite clearly where she stands. Obama also is having trouble shedding perceived ties to the positions of Jeremiah Wright, Farrakhan and other anti-American blacks.


The liberal/progressive media is doing everything it can to denigrate McCain but the only thing they have come up with is his age. That's a very weak argument at best because he's in excellent general health. There has been no sign of recurrence of the cancer that was removed from his cheek a few years ago. Moreover, you can be rest assured that his running mate will be a younger person. Afghanistan and Iraq are sore points with many people which the media uses to tie McCain to the Bush administration.

What is more concerning to me than the race for the White House is the U.S. Congress. Three recent elections to fill vacancies in what were considered "safe" Republican districts went to Democrats. This is a strong indication that it could be a landslide for the Dems in November. If that happens, it's a virtual certainty that taxes will go up, a premature pullout from Iraq will occur, and a giant step toward socialized medicine will take place. Also likely will be a reduction in our military budget to further encourage our enemies.


(2 PM 05/2o/o8: Word was released from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston that the cause of seizures experienced by Ted Kennedy over the past weekend were caused by a malignant brain tumor.) The type of cancer and its location does not bode well for Senator Kennedy. I don't agree with most of his political positions and I lost a great deal of respect for him as a man in the Chappaquidick mess. Still, my prayers and sympathy go out to his family and I hope he will recover fully. The Kennedy family has suffered more than most American families, what with the loss of Joseph P. Jr. in WWII; JFK's assination in 1963; Bobby's assination in 1968; Patrick's cancer-caused loss of a leg; and so much more.


In 1940 I delivered dairy products to the Kennedy family compound in Hyannis Port while working as a helper on a White Brothers home delivery truck. At one time or another during that summer and afterward I met several members of the Kennedy clan. I dated the daughter of the family's chauffeur for awhile in 1943-44 whose last name was Gagnon. Among those I met were Joe Jr. when he was a young Navy pilot at an airshow in Hyannis; Bobby at a party at the Hyannis Port Golf Club; Joe Sr. in Osterville one early Sunday morning when he stopped our milk truck on a road near his horse barn and asked for a quart of milk to kill his hangover; Ted on a PanAm flight from Montego Bay to Miami; and Rose while playing in with her and my cousin Ray on the back nine at the Hyannis Port Golf Club. The most impressive were Joe Jr. and Rose. Joe Jr. was a lot more serious than any of his brothers with the possible exception of Bobby. I worked with a fellow who was Bobby's roommate at the U of Virginia.

Should Ted Kennedy not make it in the battle that lies ahead, he will have gone out with the second most years in the current U.S Senate (46). What impact if any that will have on the fall elections is anyone's guess. His replacement will be the winner of a special election, not a replacement named by the governor. His passing will mark the end of what many call the Kennedy Era in American politics. It's an era marked by a mix of tragedy, triumph, and the steady move of this nation away from the principles laid down by the founding fathers. We've allowed ourselves to be drawn in by the media and its steady drumbeat against conservative principles and promotion of the nanny state. As a nation we've lost our moral compass and must get it back else continue to watch the country dissinergrate into a third world power.