Herman Cain Endorses Newt Gingrich

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NAPLES, Fla.
Does anyone else remember — because I do — how the Perrybots used to claim that anyone who supported Herman Cain was, in effect, supporting Mitt Romney? I even had friends who supported Perry tell me that Cain wasn’t “really” running for president but was aiming for a Cabinet position in a future Romney administration. Well, my friends owe me an apology now:

Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain endorsed Newt Gingrich Saturday at an event in West Palm Beach, Florida.
“I hereby officially and enthusiastically endorse Newt Gingrich for president of the United States,” Cain said during a meeting of the Palm Beach County Republican Party.
Cain cited the former House speaker’s “bold ideas” as the basis for his choice, saying Gingrich wasn’t afraid to propose big ideas that would benefit the nation, even if they invited the ridicule of his rivals.
“There are many reasons, but one of the biggest reasons is that I know that Speaker Gingrich is a patriot,” Cain said. “Speaker Gingrich is not afraid of bold ideas and I also know that Speaker Gingrich is running for president and going through this sausage grinder. I know what this sausage grinder is all about. I know that he is going through this sausage grinder because he cares about the future of the United States of America.”

Of course, the Perrybots won’t apologize for slandering Cain’s supporters. The Perrybots were wrong about everything, but they keep acting as if those of us who were right owe them an apology. I guess I should let it go, but I’m haunted by memories of their graceless arrogance.

At one point Saturday afternoon, I looked at the campaign schedule and thought about driving to West Palm Beach for that event where Cain endorsed Gingrich, but it was a two-and-a-half hour drive and I was too exhausted after a day spent coping with connectivity issues. So I took a four-hour nap, woke up and went to McDonald’s for a burger and fries.

Sunday there’s a noon Romney rally here in Naples that I’ll cover. The New York Times has a long article about how Team Romney fought back in Florida.

Santorum Daughter Hospitalized

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NAPLES, Fla.
Earlier this evening, Cynthia Yockey told me about this story, which is now reported by Associated Press:

Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum canceled his Sunday morning campaign events and planned to spend time with his hospitalized daughter.
“Rick and his wife Karen are admitting their daughter Bella to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia this evening,” spokesman Hogan Gidley said in a statement Saturday night, adding “Rick intends to return to Florida and resume the campaign schedule as soon as is possible.”
Santorum had been scheduled to appear on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and attend church in Miami. Officials did not cancel Sunday’s afternoon events in Sarasota and Punta Gorda.
sabella Santorum has Trisomy 18, a genetic condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 18th chromosome.

Prayers for Bella and her family.

UPDATE: Michelle Malkin includes this video of Rick Santorum talking about his family:

Now It Can Be Revealed: The Obama Administration Is Just A Hideously Expensive Twilight Zone Reference

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by Smitty

Politico has the YouTube clip, if you really want to hear #OccupyResoluteDesk at his Orwellian finest. Part of the transcript:

Just two days ago, a senator from Utah promised to obstruct every single American I appoint to a judgeship or public service position – unless I fire the consumer watchdog I put in place to protect the American people from financial schemes or malpractice.

A member of the #OccupyWhiteHouse Muffinhead Guard restrains an irate Progressive from coming completely unglued on a bitter, clinging conservative Senator who doesn't understand that, when BHO says "This isn't about me" he means "You better bet your bippy it's about me and toe my line, or the dog gets it."

For the most part, it’s not that this senator thinks these nominees are unqualified. In fact, all of the judicial nominees being blocked have bipartisan support. And almost 90 percent have unanimous support from the Judiciary Committee.
Instead, one of his aides told reporters that the senator plans to, and I’m quoting here, “Delay and slow the process in order to get the President’s attention.”
This isn’t about me. We weren’t sent here to wage perpetual political campaigns against each other. We were sent here to serve the American people. And they deserve better than gridlock and games. One senator gumming up the works for the whole country is certainly not what our founding fathers envisioned.

via Bluegrass Pundit

Daily Pundit: Let’s Think This Through

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by Smitty

I said I care that people vote, but not for whom they vote. You reply:

Man, you can’t really mean that. You don’t care for whom people vote? You talk a lot about your knowledge of history, and yet you’ve forgotten all those cases where people have voted themselves into the most atrocious tyrannies in history? The election of one Adolf Hitler springs to mind.
I care who people vote for.

Wow. Talk about mis-communication, and efficiently asserting a maximally bad result. Of course my studied disinterest in the details of other peoples’ voting entails risk. This is precisely the meaning of Franklin’s remark: “A republic, if you can keep it.”

Liberty means the possibility that everything can go pear shaped. Creation can reject God. Men can mistake the lower end of the digestive tract for a sex organ. Free people can vote for debt slavery.

I either respect liberty, and the possibility for inefficiency, stupidity, evil, and the like, or set myself up as some painful know-it-all. Blogging is bad enough, where I go out on the internet and attempt to persuade. But persuasion only goes so far before becoming coercion, and corrupting liberty. And, yes, to auto-Godwin myself, becoming Hitler.

Hence the deliberate mental discipline of saying: “I care that you vote, but not for whom you vote.” Maybe you can suggest some better location for a line.

Vice President Rex KramerBiden Wasn’t Sure On The Bin Laden Raid

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by Smitty

Mediaite on our wunderkind second in command:

Vice President Joe Biden spoke to a conference of House Democrats in Maryland today, and in discussing the SEAL Team raid that successfully took out Osama bin Laden, he admitted that he advised President Obama not to carry out the mission because “we have to do more things to see if he’s there.” The vice president gave an insider account of the internal discussions in the White House before the order was officially carried out.

I can imagine the scene:

Biden: ‘We have to do more things to see if he’s there.’
Panetta: ‘How about we send in a SEAL team?’
Biden: ‘Yes! If we find out Bin Laden is there, we can. . .’
Panetta: ‘Send in a SEAL team?’
Biden: ‘We must cut DOD waste! Just send in the one SEAL team.’
Panetta: ‘Very good, sir.’
Biden: ‘Stick with me, young lady, and learn you some leadership.’

This story brings home Biden’s Rex Kramer level of obliviousness. Note at ~18 seconds into the clip:
The second pair of sunglasses leaves the picture momentarily, and the bows are pointed the wrong direction when Kramer’s arm comes up. Is Biden really all that out of it? All that and more.

via Alan Colmes

Madness Beneath the Palms

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NAPLES, Fla.
After driving all night from Orlando, I arrived about 5 a.m. here at a gated community where Dan Collins’s father has a condo. “Guest of Doctor Collins,” I told the guard at the gate.

“Your name, sir?”

“McCain.”

The gate swung open and I cruised along the beautifull landscaped drive, up to the stuccoed building, let myself in — after some hassling with the combination on the keybox — and found myself in the living room, gazing out the glass doors at the sweeping view of the pond, with the golf course off in the distance. Posh.

Alas, no WiFi. But I was so tired it didn’t matter. Slept six hours, then got up about 1 o’clock today, went into town and finally found a Best Buys, where I paid $129 for a Verizon mobile WiFi card. The device-installation process, however, required technical skills exceeding my aptitude. So I just spent an hour on the phone with a tech-support to figure that out.

And that’s what I’ve done today. Kind of a wasted day so far. Mitt Romney will have a noon rally Sunday here in Naples, so I guess I’ll cover that. Then Rick Santorum has 4 p.m. speech in Punta Gorda, so I’ll go to that, too.

A new poll today shows a dead heat, but it’s an outlier, as every other recent poll shows Romney ahead by between 7 and 9 points. The intensity of the Newt-Mitt arguments is starting to annoy me, because people are acting as if the Florida primary is the end of the world, which it’s not. Howard Fineman at HuffPo tries to explain what’s gone wrong for Newt this past week, but I don’t know if Fineman’s any more insightful than anyone else.

Last night I talked to Cynthia Yockey and suggested she compile an aggregation of campaign headlines with a vintage pinup girl, which she has done. You should hit her tip jar. I did.

Should Eric Holder Resign And Become Head Of A Green Energy Start-Up?

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by Smitty

The Conservatory reports that the jig is up on the Fast & Furious farce. Or is it?

I’m guessing that if Holder were to exit the administration and develop a sudden interest in solar panels, he could get a whole new lease on corruption. Suggested name for the company: Sordlyna.

I am so teh creative.

So, what are we to do, should Cryin’ Johnnie Boehner fail to call for a resignation, or up the ante toward impeachment? Inquiring minds want to know: is the GOP position on the Obama Administration corruption anything other than fetal, with oral thumb?

Or did the Tea Party revolution of 2010 produce a sad pack of neutered crapsacks?

More at The Pirate’s Cove.