Governor Mitt Romney shared the following top ten reasons why he dropped out of the 2008 Presidential Race. Most of these were pretty good. The only one that didn’t seem to go over well was number seven, which I also winced at. Number five was downright mischievous.

(Video length: 3:43)

The Annual Radio & Television Correspondents Association Dinner
April 16, 2008

Mitt Romney’s Top Ten Reasons for Leaving the 2008 Presidential Race
    10. There weren’t as many Osmonds as I had thought.
      9. I got tired of the corkscrew landings under sniper fire.
      8. As a lifelong hunter, I didn’t want to miss the start of varmint season.
      7. There wasn’t room in the campaign for two Christian leaders.
      6. Word leaked out that nobody had bothered to search my passport files.
      5. I’d rather get fat, grow a beard, and try for the Nobel Prize.
      4. I wanted to finally take off the dark suit and tie and kick back … in a
          light-colored suit and tie.
      3. Once my wife Anne realized I couldn’t win, my fundraising dried up.
      2. I took a bad fall at a campaign rally and broke my hair.
      1. There was a flaw in our campaign theory that as Utah goes, so goes
          the nation.

Related post: President Bush Speaks at the Radio & TV Correspondents Dinner

Well, I posted Obama’s tax returns two weeks ago, so in order to be fair, here is the summary chart for Hillary Clinton’s tax returns too.

Most of the income came from Bill’s book sales and speeches. Charitable contributions averaged 9.5% over the eight year period. What is interesting is that most of those contributions went to the Clinton Family Foundation. Here is a chart showing 92.8% of donations going to the Family Foundation in years 2002-2007 (100% in years 2003, 2005 and 2006).

Aren’t you glad you don’t have to release your tax returns to the public?

Related posts:

• All the Candidates’ Tax Returns
• Click here for Obama’s Tax Returns
• Click here for Britney Spears’ Budget.
• Click here for more posts on politics.

Update 4/17/2008: Obama released his 2007 Tax Return yesterday. Here is a summary. The higher income figures are mostly from book royalties.

Barack Obama released his 2000-2006 tax returns today. Here is a summary of the figures:

The higher income figures for 2005 and 2006 come from book sales. Visit the TaxProf Blog for links to the actual returns.

Related posts:

• All the Candidates’ Tax Returns
• Click here for Hillary Clinton’s Tax Returns
• Click here for Britney Spears’ Budget.
• Click here for more posts on politics.

Earlier I posted the funniest attack ad of the political season. Here is the funniest defensive moment of the season.

Update: Whoops, the YouTube video is no longer available. Here is a different link to the same video: Comedy Central: Colbert and Huckabee. And here is a link to a shorter version: Click here for ‘Huckabee Ices Colbert – in Air Hockey’

Video length (3:35)

Mike Huckabee and Steven Colbert play air hockey with the primaries.

HT: God and Culture

Here is the funniest attack ad of the political season.

(Video length: 0:58)

Related posts:

• Hillary Clinton In-Flight Announcements
• The MPR Select a Candidate Quiz

“I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies.”
 – Senator Hillary Clinton

“Hillary Clinton disparaged the act of baking cookies.”

“I eat cookies all the time. My mom bakes cookies. Does baking cookies for me make my mom a bad person? Hillary Clinton thinks so.”

“Why put down cookies, then offer up a recipe for cookies?”

“Oh, I thought you didn’t care about baking cookies.”

“Which is it? Huh? Huh?”

“Why the double standard?”

“Double standard … flip-flop.”

“Whitewater.”

“Miss Clinton? I don’t like your recipe.”

“My mother baked me this cookie.”

(Crunch) “Mmm, that’s good.”

“This message is sponsored by Swift Kids for Truth.”

HT: World on the Web

Here is an interesting fact about the 2008 Presidential Elections:

2008 is the first time since 1952 that neither political party has a presidential candidate who is either an incumbent or a sitting vice president.

And here is a list of all the incumbents and/or sitting vice presidents who ran for office in each of the presidential elections since 1952:

(more…)

In light of Fred Thompson’s withdrawal from the 2008 Presidential race, something Glenn Reynolds said earlier this week sums up nicely what I had been thinking about the Thompson campaign:

“Weirdly, a lot of people are unhappy that Fred Thompson isn’t running well, but not a lot of people seem to have, you know, actually voted for, or donated to, Fred.” (Instapundit)

Ahh well, I still thought Fred was the best candidate. Now, it’s back to the drawing board! Meanwhile, Patrick Cox provides a good overview of Fred’s campaign over at Pajamas Media.

Related posts:

• Thompson Bloggers Contacted By Romney Campaign
• Fred Thompson Drops out of Presidential Race
• Still Leaning Towards Fred

Wow! Within hours of Fred Thompson’s announcement that he was withdrawing his candidacy for President, I received the following email from the Mitt Romney campaign.

Ray,

Since you’ve been blogging for Senator Thompson, I wanted to reach out after your candidate’s decision today.

With Senator Thompson’s departure, I believe that Governor Romney is the only candidate capable of maintaining the unity of the conservative coalition. And I believe that only Governor Romney can stop Senator McCain in Florida and beyond.

Please let me know if I can be of assistance as our party moves forward.

Thanks,
Stephen B. Smith
Director of Online Communications
Romney for President, Inc.
www.MittRomney.com

I don’t know. For some FredHeads this may be akin to a funeral home passing out business cards at an accident scene. But whether you like Romney’s campaign or not, they are certainly well organized.

Related posts:

• A Fred Thompson Irony
• Still Leaning Towards Fred
• Mike Huckabee’s Sunday Sermon at Prestonwood
• The Cluster Approach to the GOP Nomination
• The MPR Select a Candidate Quiz
• Memo to Evangelical Leaders on Romney
• Rasmussen Reports Daily Presidential Tracking Poll
• Ravi Zacharias on Electing the Next President
• Should Christians Call Mormonism a Cult?
• Rudy, John, Mitt . . . and Fred?

It’s official. Fred Thompson has withdrawn from the 2008 Presidential Race.

“Today I have withdrawn my candidacy for President of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort. Jeri and I will always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people.” (Press Release from Fred08)

Related posts:

• A Fred Thompson Irony
• Thompson Bloggers Contacted By Romney Campaign
• Still Leaning Towards Fred

Well, I am not a big fan of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s politics (as you can see by the results of my MPR Select a Candidate Quiz), but she got a good laugh out of me with these “in-flight announcements” she made to the guests and reporters on her new campaign plane as it made its first journey on Wednesday.

“My name is Hillary, and I’m so pleased to have most of you on board.”

“FAA regulations prohibit the use of cell phones, blackberries or other wireless devices that may be used to transmit negative stories about me.”

She warned her guests — a couple of dozen reporters, members of her Secret Service detail and several aides — to keep their seatbelts on even after the light had been turned off. “Things can get awfully bumpy when you least expect it.”

“In the event of an unexpected drop in poll numbers this plane will be diverted to New Hampshire.”

Clinton then promised to deliver her “stump speech, in its many variations,” as in-flight entertainment. “We know you have choices when you fly, so we are grateful you chose the plane with the most experienced candidate.”

Related posts:

• The Hillary Clinton Cookie Attack Ad
• The MPR Select a Candidate Quiz

I know, you are not supposed to talk about religion or politics at the table, so if you are talking about both at the same time, you are really pushing it! But fools rush in where politicians fear to tread, so here I go. We have a heavy political season ahead of us, and Allan Bevere at RedBlueChristian provides some helpful answers to the following question:

What exactly is the church allowed to do publicly when it comes to politics?

Although churches are not allowed to directly endorse or oppose a political candidate, “indirect” participation is allowed and includes the following:

1. Pastors may personally endorse a candidate.
2. Pastors may personally work for a candidate and contribute financially to his or her campaign. No church may contribute to a campaign.
3. Pastors may endorse a candidate in print. The pastor’s title and specific church affiliation may also be listed for the purposes of identification.
4. Pastors may preach on moral and social issues (abortion, gay marriage, economic matters, etc.) which may by implication throw support behind one candidate over another. Churches may also take official positions on such issues, as long as they don’t directly endorse or oppose a candidate in the process.
5. Churches may organize voter registrations and drives as long as they are directed at all eligible voters and not only toward voters of one political party.
6. Churches may hold forums where candidates address the issues.
7. If a candidate visits a church during worship, he or she may be introduced publicly.
8. Churches may host candidates who may speak from the pulpit, as long as that candidate is not directly endorsed or urges the congregation to vote for her/him.
9. Churches may distribute non-partisan voter guide giving information on where each candidate stands on the issues.
10. Churches may use their premises as voting stations.

Those are Allan’s points in brief, but if this is an area of interest or concern for you, I encourage you to go to RedBlueChristian and read the whole article. Of course, what is legally allowed for a church and what is wise are two different issues. What are some of your thoughts on pastors, churches and political involvement?

I have never given money to a political candidate before. I am usually just not that interested, plus I am careful in how I spend my money. But I have donated to Fred Thompson’s campaign several times this fall. Why? Because I have been impressed with Thompson as a candidate ever since his interview with Chris Wallace back in March. I like his views, I like his policies, and I like his approach. And I am frustrated that he is not getting as much attention as I think he deserves.

Although there are a number of strong contenders for the GOP nomination (for which I am glad), I am surprised that more Republicans have not rallied around Thompson as a candidate. Thompson has been a consistent conservative throughout his entire career. He is strong on national defense, favors smaller federal government, and is conservative on social issues such as abortion and the second amendment. He is one of the few candidates who has been bold enough to come right out and say that Roe vs. Wade is bad law and should be overturned.

Thompson was criticized for entering the political race so late, but one of the reasons he waited until September was because he spent the summer carefully putting his policies together. Thompson has made available clearly articulated and concise position statements on every major issue, including the following:

Federal Government Issues:

• National Security
• Government Effectiveness
• Appointing Judges Faithful to our Consitution
• Energy Security

Fiscal Issues:

• Federal Budget and Spending
• Tax Reform

Social Issues:

• Healthcare
• Building Strong Families
• Immigration
• Education
• Second Amendment

You can read Thompson’s position on each of these issues by going to Fred On the Issues and clicking on each one. (It will take you all of ten minutes.) You may or may not agree with his positions, but at least you can read them for yourself.

Bob Krumm also has several good (and fair) articles detailing Fred’s positions and comparing them with the other Republican candidates:

• It Takes All Kinds
• The Analytical Case for Fred

I would not presume to tell you for whom you should vote for president. Instead, I would encourage you to study the candidates and their policies to see how well they line up with your own views on different issues. Thompson seems to line up best with my views, but if he does not line up with yours, then you shouldn’t vote for him. Study the issues and vote for the candidate who you believe will best lead our country as president. A great tool to help you get started with this is the MPR Select a Candidate Quiz.

I live in Massachusetts, and even though our primary is not until February 5, I am well aware that eight states will already have held their primaries by that time. Some candidates may even be eliminated before I get the chance to vote. That is one of the reasons why I have donated money to the Thompson campaign now. I am still leaning towards him as the best candidate and, as things stand right now, I would like the opportunity to vote for him come February.

Related posts:

• A Fred Thompson Irony
• Thompson Bloggers Contacted By Romney Campaign
• Mike Huckabee’s Sunday Sermon at Prestonwood
• The Cluster Approach to the GOP Nomination
• The MPR Select a Candidate Quiz
• Memo to Evangelical Leaders on Romney
• Rasmussen Reports Daily Presidential Tracking Poll
• Ravi Zacharias on Electing the Next President
• Should Christians Call Mormonism a Cult?
• Rudy, John, Mitt . . . and Fred?