Interview with Newsday

Yesterday at noon I was interviewed by Newsday about the Giuliani speech I'd heard earlier that morning.

Though I talked with Craig Gordon about 5 minutes, only one sentence made the story (not that uncommon; usually only a fraction of any interview makes it to the final story). Here's a bit preceding my quote to put it in context:

"He comforted a lot of conservatives," said Bob Kilbanks, an anti-abortion Republican from Pennsylvania. "It would be against my conscience to vote for him, but I think he would get a lot of conservative votes and he would come as near to protecting life without changing his views and values."

Others weren't so sure.

"If it was him or Clinton, I'd hold my nose and vote for him," said Bob Ellis, 40, a Web designer from Rapid City, S.D. -- hardly a ringing endorsement but a reflection that Giuliani's argument that he can stop Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton is taking hold.

Actually, as regards my statement and it's implications, it was NOT a reflection that Giuliani's argument is taking hold. In fact, I tried to make it clear that I don't think Giuliani can win, whether people like me hold our noses and vote for him or not. As I've said before, conservatives will NEVER get energized about his campaign, and without that energy, unless Hillary stumbles badly, I don't think he can win. (But Gordon interviewed a lot of people yesterday, so some of it probably ran together).

Also, my statement that I'd hold my nose and vote for him presupposes there is no viable third party or "minority party" candidate. If the Republican Party nominates Giuliani, and a viable third party candidate does emerge, I will likely vote for that other candidate.

Giuliani was received politely by the crowd yesterday. And as I blogged on his speech yesterday, he gained my respect (and from others that I talked to yesterday) for not trying to shine us on and just say what we wanted to hear (unlike some others who spoke yesterday).

But as I told reporter Craig Gordon, that additional respect for Giuliani's forthrightness still does not outweigh the critical issues of life, marriage and gun control. Gordon repeatedly asked me if Giuliani had changed my mind about supporting him or voting for him, and I just kept reiterating variations of what I just said about the critical issues.

Well, I just finished a wonderful worship service put on by the Family Research Council. In fact, I think it's inspired me to pray more and spend more quality time with the Lord...and perhaps less blogging and such pursuits (that'll probably make you liberals happy). There are only so many hours in a day, and when it comes down to it, if I spend more time with God, he will make the things I do (hopefully the things he appoints me to do), more productive with less effort and less time spent.

Dale Bartscher, Dennis Schmidt and I are about to head over to the National Mall, the White House (outside), and the Capitol to take tons of pictures and appreciate the magnificent, wonderful, and unique thing God has done in creating the United States of America.

May God bless you today, and if you live in America, thank him, as we will be this afternoon, for his mercy in letting us live in the best country on earth.

WB: Candidates Overview

I've tried to provide as faithfully as possible the highlights of presidential candidate speeches during the course of the Washington Briefing, and hopefully the videos have turned out and are helpful. But one additional word of advice:

Remember that these speeches are what the candidate wants you to hear. They may or may not have said what you want to hear. Going to a candidate's website, reading their literature, listening to these speeches are good, and each of us should do so.

But this is no replacement for digging into the candidate's record. If they are already an elected official, look up their voting record. All are public figures, so Google them and find out what has been reported about them...and weigh what you find from different sources. It boils down to this: they may talk the talk, but do they walk the walk?

For instance, for instance, there are questions about Mitt Romney's "conversion" to a pro-life position.

Also, Huckabee sounded like a true-blue border controller in his speech this weekend, but that does not match what he has said in the past about immigration control. I found that very, very disappointing; at least Giuliani was pretty up front about areas of disagreement.

It's our duty as voting citizens to be informed, find out if they walk the walk, and vote accordingly. A vote, like a gun, is a powerful thing. Make sure you know how to use it wisely and safely before you pull the trigger.

WB: Afternoon Update

The results of the straw poll will be released soon, but I have something I must go do, so as much as I know you'll hate going elsewhere, you'll have to check somewhere else for those results.

Should be back in a couple of hours for the concluding segment(s) tonight before the ball honoring Dr. James Dobson.

WB: Laura Ingraham

Radio host Laura Ingraham stirred up the crowd with plenty of conservative jokes, cooked up with plenty of red meat for the values voters.

She asked if it was cold in the room, or if Hillary just flew in.

She said she didn't think there was going to be a Reagan-esque candidate riding in on a white steed to save the election.

She said we need to be candid with one another: we need to go home, talk to people and don't fall into the trap of burying your heads in the sand and retreat from politics. "That is what the elites in both parties want," Ingraham said.

She said Christian conservatives will never have more political experience in this election season that they do right now. Jan. 3 is the Iowa caucuses, so this is the moment to stand up for what you believe in. "Right now, you have influence. Once the elites have made their calls and good citizens have decided to do nothing, don't expect to get your phone calls returned."

She said if someone can unite fiscal conservatives, hawks, and social conservatives, along with a few working class Democrats who don't like where their party has taken them, then they will win. Ingraham said if it's just warmed-over Democrats, a lot of people are thinking, "I'm out of this game."

Ingraham said the downward trend for the GOP began in 2005 when President Bush nominated Harriet Meiers for the Supreme Court. She said nothing against Meiers, but the Supreme Court isn't the place for on-the-job training. She said conservatives stood up to this bad move and won.

She asked if the elites understand where the Republican Party was the last time they ran a nominee that wasn't pro-life: out of power.

Ingraham said your values will only be represented by someone who identifies with them. She said you never go wrong by doing the right thing.

She said a lot of people want you (values voters) to go away, but you're smarter than that. The elites have been wrong time after time after time in their compromises. "Do what you know is right; you will once again prove you have more wisdom than they will ever hope to have from their ivory towers."

Ingraham spoke as strongly as anyone at the conference, perhaps the strongest, against putting your principles in the back seat and doing what people want you to do.

WB Day 2 Lunch Update

Will be off for lunch the next two hours, back at 2:00 pm Eastern.

WB: Judge Robert Bork

Judge Bork said one of the supreme issues before us is who is chosen to judge in the courts, because we have come to the point where our judiciary greatly influences our culture. He asked what would happen if our next judges are chosen by Hillary Clinton and Harry Reid.

Bork said a judge is an activist when he announces a decision that has no plausible connection to the Constitution. He said the quintessential activist decision was the 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion decision. He said seven justices wanted a right to abortion, and that was that.

Bork condemned recent rulings by the Supreme Court which have extended American rights and Geneva Convention rights that should be reserved for uniformed combatants to undeclared combatant terrorists.

Bork said he sympathized with values voters who wanted to withhold their support from a nominee who doesn't share their most deeply held values. However, he said the objective should be "the repeal of Roe." He said it's good to stand on principle, but you have to remember the overall objective and sometimes you have to use tactical discretion.

WB: Mike Huckabee

Huckabee received perhaps the most enthusiastic reaction from the crowd when his name was announced as the next speaker, and the moderator semi-jokingly asked the delegates from Arkansas to please sit down.

He said to the values voters that he comes not as one who comes to you, but as one who comes from you.

He said some values are non negotiable: freedom, family and faith.

Huckabee said we need to wake up to the threat from radical Islam because they don't care how long it takes, they don't care if your children or grandchildren live at all. He said they would establish a theocracy over the entire the whole earth, and for that to happen, all of us have to disappear. He said the idea that they will leave us alone if we leave them alone will get us killed.

He said border control is a national security issue. He said it was a disgrace that it was more difficult for an American citizen to get on a plane in their hometown than it was for an illegal to get into the country. He said we will say no to amnesty and sanctuary cities, and to ignoring that some of our laws have been broken. He said he doesn't blame people for coming here, but he blames our government for allowing immigration to get out of control.

He condemned outsourcing and importing all our goods and energy from other countries; he said this leaves us vulnerable and unable to deal with threats.

He spoke against threats to our sovereignty.

He said the family is under attack by those who want to redefine marriage. He said we're not against people, we're for marriage. He said we should make it constitutionally clear. He said he was tired of hearing from people who are afraid to change the Constitution but want to change the "holy Word of God" and what it says about marriage and family.

He said it is clear that life begins at conception.

He said it is not someone's responsibility to accommodate someone's risky behavior. He said we don't move God's standards to meet cultural norms, we should move cultural norms to meet God's standards.

He said it was always preferable to be on God's side, even when the other side seems superior and more powerful. He said when you're on God's side, you get to see what God can do with a little faith.

We shouldn't let expediency or electability replace our values. He also said he doesn't spell GOD as GOP, and that our principles are more important than party.

Huckabee said it was time for values voters to pledge our lives, our fortunes and sacred honor for that which is eternal.

UPDATE: The video of Huckabee did not turn out (a few sessions have failed, for some reason).

WB: Panel Discussion on Media Bias

Radio talk show host Roger Hedgecock moderated the panel. On the panel were author Myrna Blyth, John Fund of the Wall Street Journal, and Rich Lowry of National Review.

Blythe talked about The View and how women are often strongly influenced by the opinions of other women, they want to agree with their friends. She said a lot of women's discussions on public policy include a fixation on victimhood. She said Elizabeth Hasselbeck shouldn't be the only woman in media to express a different point of view. She also condemned the Danny DeVito interview on the View and how he was drunk during the interview and how he told of disrespectful behavior when he had stayed in the Lincoln Bedroom in the White House; Blythe asked why people didn't speak up against this behavior in their White House.

Fund criticised the unstated implication from the "lame-stream, I mean 'mainstream' media" that the election is already over and we know who is going to win. He said our country is one that leans conservative, and when a campaign begins the way the liberal media short circuits the information process is to essentially declare the election over and demoralize the opposition. He also mentioned many of the things this congress has wasted it's time on, such as Harry Reid and other Democrats condemning Rush Limbaugh for something he didn't say...but Limbaugh getting the last laugh by auctioning their letter of condemnation on eBay for $2.1 million dollars (and matching and donating the money to the education of children of Marines and law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty).

Lowry said there are a lot of honorable reporters out there, but the cultural problem is that they live in a liberal culture and don't even see their own biases. He recalls the reaction of a journalist who couldn't understand how Nixon was elected because she knew no one who voted for him. He said he had visited Iraq and that it is a scandal that some people say they support the troops but won't support the work that goes on there on the ground. He said the media is vested into an air of defeat. Lowry said there are alternate means of information now, including talk radio and the blogosphere. He said if the Dan Rather Memogate scandal had happened before the blogosphere he would have gotten away with the fake memo about President Bush's National Guard service. He said we should modify Reagan's statement about the Soviets when it comes to the media: "Don't trust and verify."

Hedgecock asked Blythe how a male candidate appeals to women voters. She said that they need to encourage women to examine the issues. She said right now Clinton is pandering to women and trying to draw them in. You need a tough candidate who forces Clinton to talk about the issues.

Hedgecock asked Fund about the independent voter and what issues Clinton is vulnerable in. Fund said she has campaigned as a "born again moderate." He said the truth is she was far more involved in the radical policies of Bill Clinton's administration than most people realized. He said the Bush tax cuts may disappear in 2010, and the Democrats are looking at that renewed revenue as "manna from Heaven."

Blythe said the media will be pressuring women to vote for Clinton because she is a woman and they are women. Lowry said there is a gender gap, and that men are far less enthusiastic about Clinton.

WB: Mark Levin

Lawyer, writer and radio talk show host Mark Levin said many politicians invoke Reagan but govern like Nelson Rockefeller.

Levin said conservatives really need to get engaged and take back the Republican Party. He said we're in the midst of a quiet civil war for the heart and soul of the nation. He asked if we were going to defend traditional values or accept as inevitable the expansion of government.

Levin said, "The liberal, or the statist to be more accurate, promotes reliance on the state rather than responsibility to your family...they promote multiculturalism...rather than the American culture."

Levin pointed out that the Founders set up a republic rather than the anarchy of a direct democracy. They established an intricate system of checks and balances. Apart from what powers the Constitution conferred on the federal government, it had no powers. He pointed to the amendment process as the correct way to implement any necessary changes to the Constitution, not judges.

On the Bill of Rights: "Federal government was not to intervene ever in the right to religious expression, press, gun ownership and assembly. And we conservatives support all ten...just like we support all Ten Commandments."

"The Constitution serves as an obstacle to their [liberals] agenda, which is why they refer to it as a "living Constitution. To change it's meaning is to destroy the Constitution."

Liberals have created a fourth branch of government: the Administrative Branch. It cannot be influenced at the ballot box. This rules supreme over the rest of the federal government, over the states, and anything else it wants to rule over.

He said we can't reverse all this overnight, but we must begin to educate our fellow Americans about their heritage and our history.

Levin pointed to the differences between liberals and conservatives, such as: they stand for union bosses while we stand for the worker, we stand for the children while they stand for the abortion clinic.

Levin said under socialized medicine, government controls who gets treated and who doesn't, who lives and who dies.

Levin said he calls Hillary Clinton "Her Highness." This because of her love for taxation and powerful government. He reminded the crowd that Hillary recently said she has a million ideas, just no way to pay for them all; Levin said she'd certainly try to find a way.

Levin spoke of stunted, ineffectual responses by liberals to military threats in the past. Of the Clintons and other liberals, Levin said, "We cannot allow these people to run our armed forces.

Levin said he couldn't support a third party candidate under the current circumstances, to which he received some applause. He said we handed the government to the Clintons once, and we can't do that again.

He said the Republican Party has been suffering from neglect since Reagan left office, and it was up to people like us to do something about that.

WB: Michael Steele

Unfortunately I was enaged in doing some other things during most of Steele's presentation. I was in a position to hear most of it, and he said exceptional things that pointed to responsbility, opportunity and courage. He spoke of the nobility of human achievement as opposed to dependence upon others.

I'll post the video below once it's uploaded and processed.

WB: Rudy Giuliani

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said he came to speak about "our shared values and shared goals."

"The American people want their elected leaders to reason together," Giuliani said. He admitted he spends as little time here in DC as possible; he's afraid there's something in the air.

Giuliani spoke of the early Christians of America and said it was their values that drew people from around the world to America.

He spoke of both rights and responsibilities, and said that responsibilities should irrevocably come with our rights.

"You have absolutely nothing to fear from me," Giuliani told the crowd. He said he had difficulty understanding those that made him out to be an advocate for liberal causes. He said he would protect the values we share, as he will protect America from the enemies we face.

He said he grew up in an atmosphere where you didn't discuss your faith openly and it wasn't connected to politics, but stressed the authenticity of his beliefs. He said he believed trust was more important than 100% agreement.

Giuliani expressed admiration for Reagan, and said he didn't govern by putting his finger in the air to see which way the wind was blowing. He said if he just repeats to this group what they believe, he's then a follower, not a leader. He said if he says what's on his heart, then others have a right to agree, disagree or whatever. But he said twisting himself around would cause him to lose his sense of what he is all about.

He spoke about the state of dependence, despair, crime and decay which New York City had fallen into before he became mayor. Times Square had become a haven for drug dealers, prostitutes and pornography.

Giuliani spoke about the right of free speech of those who, like the "artist" who did the Virgin Mary in elephant dung, but said that people of faith have the same right to speak out against such offenses. He also said tax money shouldn't go to pay for garbage like that.

Giuliani said religious people have a right to participate in the political process, and should. He encouraged people to stand up against those who would drive religious expression from the public square. "Freedom of religion is not freedom from religion," Giuliani said.

He said the next president must work to restore the idea that duties and obligations come with our rights. He recounted what he accomplished in New York City, moving 640,000 people off the welfare rolls. He believed this also had the effect of reducing crime, along with good policing practices.

Giuliani said he supports school choice, and parents should be empowered to make decisions about their children's education because they are better able to do so than government.

"Every American should have the right to send their child to the school of their choice, including the right of responsible parents to choose homeschooling," he said. "It takes a family, not a village, to raise a child."

He said he was committed to decrease abortions and increase adoptions.

He said judges are to interpret the law, not create law. Giuliani said he would appoint judges in the mold of Scalia, Thomas, Alito or Roberts.

"Our goal in Iraq should be victory," Giuliani said to an enthusiastic crowd. He said our current struggle is like Reagan's statement about the Cold War: "They lose, we win."

Giuliani said Iran must be prevented from getting nuclear weapons, and we must stand against slaughter like that in Darfur.

He said he feels his faith deeply, but perhaps more privately than some. He said he had made mistakes in his life, and had asked forgiveness. He spoke highly of forgiveness, and said that we don't lose faith in our leaders when they're not perfect, but when they're not honest.



To me, Giuliani seemed a bit subdued, perhaps in recognition and acknowledgement that he was before a crowd that doesn't trust him to represent their values, and would prefer another nominee.

I think he made the best speech and best possible appeal for support that he could, given the crowd he addressed. And I think he was smart enough to know this wasn't just a typical, random crowd that would buy platitudes and cheap talk.

I'll give him points for not trying to shine on the values crowd. I may disagree with him in many areas, and do not think he is the appropriate choice for the Republican nominee, but I admire someone who will be honest with me about what they believe, rather than trying to tickle my ears.

White House Tour

Unfortunately I wasn't able to take my camera on the White House tour. But it was still very much worth it.

It was fantastic being in such a historic place. Dale Bartscher, Dennis Schmidt and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and extend our thanks to Senator John Thune and his outstanding staff for getting us the tour.

We stood in the room where many if not most press conferences are held, the one where you often see the president walk down a hallway to approach a podium. We saw the room where the president holds private briefings and private interviews with individual members of the press. We saw many historic paintings of the presidents. We came out the front of the White House, stood among the columns, and walked out through huge old trees that formed a canopy over a large part of the grounds.

One highlight I recall was seeing the original portrait of George Washington that Dolly Madison whisked from the White House as the British came to burn the place in the War of 1812. It was awe-inspiring to consider what I was looking at, and all the history behind it.

We got to see Marine One land, watch the President and First Lady board, and the helicopter take off again. We only saw from a distance, from inside a hallway inside the White House, and Marine One was only on the ground a few minutes, but it was an unexpected bonus to an unforgettable tour.

WB: Day 2 Update

I was a little late getting back from the White House tour, so unfortunately have missed most of the first speaker of the day: Bill Bennett. Very unfortunate, since what I'm hearing is profound wisdom for our country, especially with regard to national security.

I am finishing reading Vol. 2 of America: The Last Best Hope by Bennett, and both volumes are outstanding history books. Every American should read them.

I'll pick up blog coverage with the next speaker. Sorry for missing Bill Bennett, one the best speakers scheduled for today.

The live feed is here; http://127.0.0.1:54773/.

Here are the final 7 minutes of Bennett's speech:

WB: Update

I hit more technical difficulties with the Phyllis Schlafly video; it looked like it was working fine, but when I was done it was a teeny file not worth anything. This is my first time streaming video and archiving it like this, so I'm bound to goof some things up, but I'm hoping it's of some use. There are just a few seconds turnaround between one speaker finishing and the next one starting, so you have to move pretty fast.

Have a tour of the White House in the morning, so I need to get to bed. I'll tell W you said, Hi, Todd.

Goodnight, all!

WB: Gary Bauer

Gary Bauer said the media has been for several weeks writing the obituary of the values voters, but he said the fight has only begun and they haven't seen anything yet.

Bauer said the country is facing a grave danger, and everything is up for grabs. He said while we meet here, there are evil men around the world working to bring sorrows to us in the United States. He said it won't matter whether we're still in Iraq or not when the new president comes in, he will be a wartime president because we will still be fighting these evil men.

Bauer said our schools are too busy teaching our children that religion has no place in the public square to tell them about the self-evident truths of our founding documents. He said the right to "life" was included in the Declaration of Independence because the Founders realized that without this right, the rest don't mean much.

Bauer said while President Bush is a good man and he's glad he has been at the helm during these difficult years, the president made a mistake when he said that all the faiths of the world are praying to the same God. He said he did not believe the god of the same people who hate Jews and destroy life is the same God who encouraged his people to "choose life."

He said he is "disgusted and sickened" by many of the Leftists and Leftist groups that have denounced our heroic troops, and he called on Democrat legislators to disavow MoveOn.org and groups like them that say terrible things about our military members. He said anyone who wouldn't condemn this behavior didn't deserve to serve in elected office. (standing ovation)

Bauer said our nation made a mistake when the Supreme Court said in the Dred Scott decision that people were property, that Dred Scott was not a "person" under the Constitution. He said that decision released a poison in our civilization that nearly destroyed the Union, and it still keeps people of different skin colors apart.

He said the court made the same mistake again in 1973 when it decided children were property, like "styrofoam cups." We have had 35 years of destruction of innocent children. We have elevated the destruction of children to a lofty Constitutional right. Bauer asked about the wisdom of saying slavery was a choice.

Bauer said there are disagreements about candidates and strategy, but it doesn't mean we're enemies or that we're falling apart. There has been talk of a third party, and he said that while some might be okay with that, he felt this was not the way to go. He said he wasn't going to turn over the party of Lincoln and Reagan over to those that don't deserve the legacy.

He said we want an America where Roe v. Wade has been discarded to the trashcan of history where it belongs.

Bauer said there is a great reservoir of people who believe in faith and family, and we saw them on 911. He said that on that day we didn't care about political party or skin color, we just helped each other and prayed together.

He paid homage to the heroes of Flight 93 who brought down the hijacked plane over Pennsylvania. He said these hereos planned, then they voted. They voted to fight back. They decided to meet the enemy head on, and spared the rest of us an additional horror like we saw too much of that morning.

He called on values voters to come out and win with love, and keep America the shining city on a hill.

WB: Phyllis Schlafly

Schafly said the next president must stand against attacks on life such as the Freedom of Choice Act. Also embryonic stem cell research and cloning bills should be vetoed.

She said it's not enough for a presidential candidate to say he opposes homosexual "marriage." He must be prepared to stand against revisions in the definition of marriage.

A good candidate must protect parent's rights in public schools in rulings such as those which say the right of parents to determine the upbringing of their children ends at the school door. They should also oppose "nosy" questionnaires and school mental health evaluations, giving contraception to young children, and "diversity" courses.

A good president must appoint only judges that rule by the Constitution as it is written, and that reject notions that the Constitution is "evolving" or is guided by "evolving notions."

Schlafly said a candidate should stop illegal aliens from entering our country. He should never try to fool the American people with amnesty bills. He should also build the 850 mile fence on our southern border, and release the border patrol agents jailed for stopping a drug runner.

She said Republican candidates talk about cutting spending, but people don't believe them because they didn't do that when they had control of congress and the White House.

Schlafly spoke against "Free Trade" because it destroys American jobs. She condemned the way foreign countries discriminate against our products, and said we can't be competetive against Chinese workers who work for 30 cents an hour and no benefits. She said the top tier Republican candidates show no compassion for the many Americans who have lost their jobs to overseas competition.

American sovereignty demands we reject UN treaties because they always invade or sovereignty, setting up a monitoring commission to dicate US domestic law, Schlafly said. She said a presidential candidate must oppose things like the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which would undermine parental rights. Schafly also condemned the Law of the Sea Treaty and said President Bush was wrong for cooperating for it's passage.

She also condemned a North American Union, and said we expect a presidential candidate to condemn this.

We expect a candidate to support English as our official language, Schlafly said. We must reject divisive talk about multiculturalism. We want to assimilate immigrants into our language and culture.

She also spoke up for the rights of inventors and pointed out that this right was specified in the Constitution before the amendments.

WB: Ben Stein Expelled

Ben Stein's new movie "Expelled" is on the evolution controversy and the intellectual bigotry that happens on most campuses.

Stein said he felt among family here at the Briefing. He said he wins the lottery every day when we wakes up in America.

We can’t have freedom of inquiry where science is concerned because some people feel it’s too dangerous.

Uh, beyond this I don't have any notes. More technical difficulties, lost internet connection in the middle of Stein's speech. Hopefully the video came out, because it was a good speech.

WB: Mitt Romney

Mass. Governor Mitt Romney said America's future will be determined not just by heads of state, but heads of households.

Romney said there is a societal role for family, which is a building block of society. He cited the benefits of a solid family such as better adjusted kids who are less likely to be involved in crime, teen pregnancy, drug use, etc.

The family is a vital economic unit, he said. Romney said the most important work that goes on in America is in the four walls of the home.

Romney said two parents are the ideal for raising children. He said one of the biggest threats to the family is out of wedlock births; he said as president he would tell people they need to get married before they make babies.

Romney praised Bill Cosby for telling it like it is, with regard to the family.

Romney said his wife Ann would champion the cause of challenging young people not to have children out of wedlock.

He said that fathers should be responsible for the health and welfare of children, regardless of whether they marry the mother.

He also spoke against the marriage tax penalty. He said he would reimplement the Family Impact Statement which examines the impact of legislation on the family.

Romney said he would champion the passage of a Federal Marriage Amendment to protect the definition of marriage.

Romney said the MA Supreme Court decision which found a right for homosexuals to "marry" in their state constitution was unfounded and not in the constitution. He said a FMA is the only way to protect marriage from unelected liberal judges.

Romney said he would be a pro-life president, appointing justices that follow the Constitution and don't legislate from the bench. He said he'd oppose taxpayer funding of abortion and partial birth abortion. He said he would work to deny embryonic cloning. He said his record as MA governor was always pro-life. He said that he was a convert to this cause.

He spoke against internet pornography, "especially as it concerns our children." He said he would work to ensure that every computer sold would contain a filter that parents could use to protect their children. And as for predators, "One strike and you're ours. That means long prison sentences,and if you ever get out, it's an ankle bracelet for life."

He said he would work for better schools and school choice. He said we should help homeschoolers with a federal tax credit to help defray the cost of schooling expenses.

Romney said he wanted to defend our religious heritage. He said the anti-religion of secularism has to come to an end, that we are a nation under God.

He said he understood that some people might have a problem with his Mormonism, but that his campaign is about changing Washington to help people.

"We're not going to beat Hillary Clinton by acting like Hillary Clinton," Romney said.

WB: Newt Gingrich

Gingrich talked about the need to "defend us and defeat them" when it comes to national defense and fighting the bad guys. Gingrich said a recent survey revealed somewhere around 80% of Americans see it this way.

He also said 89% of the American people believe religion is important to them and their family; he said this might shock many in the "mainstream" media, and cause a sizeable number at the New York Times to migrate to New Zealand.

Gingrich said the results of this survey represents not the America you see on the cover of news magazines, but it does represent the America that reads these magazines.

Gingrich said America is unique in recognizing that freedom comes from God, and that each person inherits that directly from God, not through government. He also said government does not loan us power, we loan it power.

He said he isn't making a theological statement, but a historical statement that we have the right to fire those to whom we have loaned power and who have abused it.

Gingrich talked about the argument that the Founders were deists. He took the crowd on a verbal tour of the monuments in DC. It says "Glory to God" at the top of the Washington Monument. He told of George Washington's faith in God.

He also examined Jefferson and the secularist mythos around him, and examined the "wall of separation between church and state" fallacy. Gingrich said this was to prevent us from being taxed to produce an official state church.

Two days after Jefferson wrote that letter, he went into the US Capitol and went to church in the US House chamber which was used as a church for about century. I have sworn upon the altar of God Almighty eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." Which God was Jefferson talking about? Isn't it obvious?

Lincoln Memorial features the Gettysburg Address where Lincoln wrote into the text of his speech "under God." And at Lincoln's second inaugural address, he cited God 14 times and cited the Bible twice in some 700 words.

Gingrich also cited FDR's prayer, leading America in prayer over the D-Day Normandy Invasion on national radio. He prayed for 9.5 minutes and wasn't afraid to say that our enemies were evil and that we needed to defeat them. Gingrich pointed out that even a liberal Democrat could acknowledge this and do this as recently as 60 years ago.

Gingrich pointed to the violence, drugs, and ignorance in schools since prayer was banned and said he didn't think this has improved our schools one bit.

Gingrich received loud applause when he said America should make English our official language.

He said he believes one day all Americans regardless of party and political backgrounds will come together and realize the path liberal judges have put us on is a path that will end America as we know it.

The correct answer for those opposed to what we believe in is to go to the polls, mobilize our friends, defeat them, they go home and write memoirs and America moves in the right direction.

WB: Update

Sorry, folks. Shortly into Paul Weyrich's speech, I developed intermittent Wifi connection problems that eventually came to no connection at all and I had to reboot my laptop.

Unfortunately, I've also missed pretty much all of Bishop Harry Jackson's speech; I got to hear it, but was too distracted with the technical problems to blog, and my video feed went down with the laptop.

Should be about one more speech before supper (5:30-7:30 pm Eastern), then back for the evening session from 7:30-9:30 pm Eastern.