Former President Jimmy Carter arrived in Damascus to meet with Hamas’s exiled terrorist leader Khaled Mashaal.  Carter is one of almost 800 Super-Delegates in the Democratic nomination process.  Since he is meeting with the leader of a Terrorist organization perhaps the DNC should consider removing Carter’s status as a Super- Delegate.  Since it is ok for the leading candidate for the Democratic Presidential Nomination to have a relationship with an admitted domestic terrorist (Bill Ayers), and have a hate monger for a moral compass (Jerimiah Wright), a former President meeting with internationally recognized terrorists to Democrats  it seems is not such a big deal.  

To me and many others it is a big deal, and it clearly shows what we have been saying for years.  That the Democratic party is not just “soft on terrorism” but actually supports and enables it.  

Cartoon From Flaps blog

Cracking down on employers of illegals is an important step to getting control of the illegal immigration problem we have.  For decades employers have turned a blind eye to forged or illegally obtained documents provided by workers to obtain employment. Raids like the ones conducted at Pilgrim’s Pride plants sends a message to illegals that identity theft is not a means of obtaining and holding on to employment. And for those who insist that illegals only do jobs that citizens will not do, consider that, in total 280 people were arrested in these raids.  280 from a company that employs tens of thousands.  So I assume that the tens of thousands that were not arrested were here legally doing the Jobs that citizens do every day.

From Fox Business

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in coordination with the U.S. Department of Justice and an array of other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, today arrested more than 280 foreign nationals employed at Pilgrim’s Pride plants in five states who are suspected of committing identity theft and other criminal violations in order to obtain their jobs.

Simultaneous enforcement actions were carried out at Pilgrim’s Pride plants in the following locations: Mount Pleasant, Texas; Live Oak, Fla.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Batesville, Ark.; and Moorfield, W.Va. The management at these Pilgrim’s Pride facilities cooperated fully with today’s arrests. Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., headquartered in Pittsburg, Texas, is one of the largest chicken-processing companies in the United States.

Rasmussen daily tracking polls show John McCain pulling ahead of either Democratic rival in the November election.

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows John McCain leading Barack Obama, 47% to 43%. The presumptive Republican nominee also leads Hillary Clinton 48% to 41%.

However the Rasmussen poll is not all good news for Republicans.

The Rasmussen Reports Balance of Power Calculator shows the Electoral College race remains a Toss-Up. Democrats lead in states with 190 Electoral Votes while the GOP has the advantage in states with 189. When “leaners” are added, the Democrats lead 260 to 240 (see summary of recent state-by-state results). Data from Rasmussen Markets gives Democrats a 59.5 % chance of winning the White House in November.

In the Democratic race. Hillary Clinton has seen her 20 point lead in Pennsylvania drop into single digits, her lead in Indiana has remained steady at 5 points and in North Carolina, Barak Obama enjoys a 14.5 point lead. Pennsylvania’s primary is next week while North Carolina and Indiana Primaries are on May 6th.  If the race is not decided by then, chances are it will go all the way to Denver.

Reuters political correspondent pointed out.

With 10 contests remaining, Obama has a nearly unassailable lead in pledged delegates, but neither candidate is likely to gain enough delegates to win without help from nearly 800 Democratic Party officials and insiders who are free to back any candidate.

So the backroom deals and political insiders will decide who the Democratic nominee is.. Change is a common theme in this election cycle, if this is how Democrats choose their nominee perhaps the first thing that needs to change is the name of their party.

Cutting the per gallon tax that the federal government receives will do far more to stimulate the economy than the silly stimulus package pushed by both Democrats and Republicans.  There is a downside to this as well though. The monies collected from the gas tax funded various road, bridge and other transportation infrastructure projects and maintenance.  One possible solution to continue with the maintenance and construction projects would be to sell off a smallportion of the Strategic Reserves at market prices to US Refineries and use the proceeds to fund the construction.

From Reuters

U.S. Republican presidential candidate John McCain called on Tuesday for the U.S. Congress to suspend the 18.4 percent federal tax on gasoline to ease prices at the pump for Americans.“Americans need relief right now from high gas prices. John McCain will act immediately to reduce the pain of high gas prices,” his campaign said ahead of an economic speech McCain was delivering in Pittsburgh.

McCain called on Congress to suspend the 18.4 cent federal gas tax and 24.4 cent diesel tax from Memorial Day at the end of May to Labor Day at the beginning of September.

McCain reiterated that he would also like to stop filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, an emergency supply of oil for use in case of major disruptions, because filling now at a time of high prices is driving up the price of gasoline even higher.

McCain will also said he would end policies that he believes add to higher transportation and food costs, such as ethanol subsidies, tariff barriers and sugar quotas.

Some rare good news being reported in the MSM about Al Qaeda and Taliban forces being forced to fight on two fronts.  The terrorist group is being pressured from both the Pakistani side of the border as well as Coalition efforts in Afghanistan. 

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher via Reuters

“They have to deal with pressures from the Pakistan side and the pressure from the Afghan side. The more we can do that in concert with each other, the more squeezed the al Qaeda and Taliban supporters in those areas will feel,” said Boucher who makes regular trips to both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Pressure from Pakistan or Coalition forces in Afghanistan is not all they have to worry about. Some Taliban commanders have been fighting each other.

From the Frontier Post

Around eight Taliban fighters were killed as two commanders of the militant group encountered in western Badghis province, officials said Saturday. Col Muhammad Ayub Niazyar police chief of Badghis province told Pajhwok Afghan News the exchange of fire between loyalists of Mulla Abdur Rahman Haqani and Mulla Ahmad Wardak killed five fighters and seriously injured three more from the two factions in Ghormach district of the province.

Claiming that the media has “fallen down on the job” when it comes to Senator John McCain, the billionaire socialist George Soros and Media Matters founder David Brock plan a $40 Million campaign of hit pieces against presumptive Republican nominee.  

From Politico

Wealthy Democrats are preparing a four-month, $40 million media campaign centered on attacks on Sen. John McCain.

…Brock suggested that the group could do the work of a press corps that, he says, has “fallen down on the job” when it comes to McCain.

Brock is describing the same press corps that allowed Barak Obama to campaign for a year before anyone challenged him on his 20 Year relationship with a hatemongering preacher, or his complete lack of substance on most of the issues he discusses in the speeches he delivers so well.  The Same media that widely reports Senator Clinton referring to McCain’s economic policies as being like those of Herbert Hoover, yet only one publication managed to comparethe protectionist and high taxation policies of Hoover to the protectionist and high taxation policies of either Clinton or Obama. 

No one in the Media offers any substantial challenges to the multitude of fundraising violations associated with the Clintons, nor any discussion of how Barak Obama’s wife managed to double her salary since her husband was elected to the Senate… I’m sure it had nothing to do with the pork barrel dollars he managed to get through to he hospital where she worked.

Mr Brock is right, the media has fallen down on the job. He is just wrong about which party they fail to cover.  

Iranian expansion of its Nuclear program by installing 6000 centrifuges at its Natanz facility drew criticisms and warning from France and the US.  The centrefuges would make it possible for Iran to enrich Uranium that it could be used in a Nuclear Weapon.  Essentially Iran is but one step away from achieving a nuclear weapon, and that step only requires the political will to do it.  With Ahmadinejad’s continued defiance of three previous UNSC Resolutions does anyone doubt he has the political will or ambition to do just that?

French and US Reactions to the Iranian announcement from Reuters  

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner

“I fear that we will have to continue on the path of sanctions if we do not receive a response from the Iranians”  

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

“Iran faces the continued isolation in the international community because it will not take a reasonable offer from the international community,”

Because of disruptions in Greece, London & Paris, the International Olympic Committee is actually considering canceling the remaining international portions of the torch relay.

From USA Today

The International Olympic Committee said Tuesday it will consider the future of the remaining portion of international leg of the Beijing Olympic torch relay as a result of anti-Chinese protests that have dogged the event.

“This is something that obviously has to be discussed by the executive board,” IOC President Jacques Rogge told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Rogge said the rule-making board would consider the options on Friday.

Asked whether the continuation of the international relay was certain, he said: “I’m not saying whether it is certain or not. There will be a discussion of the executive board on the torch relay but I attach on that absolutely no speculation whatsoever.”

The torch relay has been disrupted in Greece, Istanbul, London and Paris by protesters opposed to China’s policies in Tibet and overall human rights record. More problems are expected Wednesday in San Francisco, the only North American leg of the relay.

The protesters of the torch relay are capitalizing on the media events to make a political statement.  Tibet, Taiwan, & Darfur are some of the common causes the protesters claim to be championing. The core issue though, is China’s horrific human rights record.  

The Olympics is supposed to be about bringing the world together in a peaceful stetting to celebrate through athletics, teamwork, cooperation, & the ability of nations to compete on a level playing field free of politics and violence.  The protests to me are not in line with the Olympic Spirit, but then again neither is selecting capitol city of a repressive and brutal regime to host the games.    

If it is ordered by Shi’ite Cleric Ali al-Sistani as well as Shi’ite Clerics in Iran.  This just reinforces the opinion that Iran is behind the recent wave of violence in Iraq.  Logically if Iranian Clerics have the influence to not only stop the violence but to even disband the militia then using that influence to start the violence to begin with is not that much of a stretch.

From Reuters  

Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr offered on Monday to disband his militia if the highest Shi’ite religious authority demands it, a shock announcement at a time when the group is the focus of an upsurge in fighting.

The news came after Shi’ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who launched a crackdown on Sadr’s Mehdi Army late last month, ordered the cleric to disband his militia or face exclusion from the Iraqi political process.

It was the first time Sadr has evoked dissolving the Mehdi Army, whose black-masked fighters have been principle actors throughout Iraq’s five-year-old war and the main foes of U.S. and Iraqi forces in widespread battles over recent weeks.

Senior Sadr aide Hassan Zargani said Sadr would seek rulings from Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq’s most senior Shi’ite cleric, as well as senior Shi’ite clergy based in Iran, on whether to dissolve the Mehdi Army, and would obey their orders.

“If they order the Mehdi Army to disband, Moqtada al-Sadr and the Sadr movement will obey the orders of the religious leaders,”Zargani told Reuters from neighboring Iran, where U.S. officials say Sadr has spent most of the past year.

Related Post Iran involved in the battle for Basra

Hillary Clinton undertook tremendous political risk by urging President Bush to boycott the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics.  With so many campaign fundraising scandals tied to China or Chinese immigrants I am thoroughly surprised that Clinton would make the comment at all.

From Reuters

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton urged President George W. Bush on Monday to boycott the Beijing Olympics opening ceremonies this summer unless China improves human rights.

Clinton, in a statement, cited violent clashes in Tibet and the lack of pressure by China on Sudan to stop “the genocide in Darfur.”

“At this time, and in light of recent events, I believe President Bush should not plan on attending the opening ceremonies in Beijing, absent major changes by the Chinese government,” the New York senator said.