The De Vaul Problem

Well, the timing could not be worse. On the eve of Thanksgiving, San Luis Obispo is tossed in the national spotlight because we jailed man trying to help homeless people. The New York Times had it today; so did the LA Times. Gene Burns, the long-time San Francisco radio talk show host spent the opening hour of his broadcast tonight in a scathing attack on SLO County.

"The only thing wrong with San Luis Obispo County is the people running it," Burns suggested at the end of an impassioned defense of De Vaul. Referring to Judge Trice's decision to jail the local rancher, Burns said, "If that's not the dumbest result I've ever heard of in a courtroom, it's got to be close." KGO keeps their podcasts on line for 7 days. You really should check it out.

I have a feeling more regional and national media coverage on this issue is still to come. Meanwhile, Dan De Vaul will be my special guest Wednesday at 5:05. Tune in. Call in. There's got to be a better way than sending this man to jail. Gene Burns really nailed the issue -- he argued we were more interested in punishing De Vaul than we were in solving the problem.

Going Rogue

Well, everywhere you look these days, there's Sarah Palin. She's with Barbara Walters. She's with Oprah. Everywhere you look, Palin is pushing her new memoir. Somehow i don't think I'll be buying a copy.

So I'm relieved when respected conservatives like David Brooks see that the empress has no clothes:

"Speaking the day before Palin's new book, "Going Rogue," is slated to be officially released, Brooks scoffed at the notion that the ex-governor was somehow ready to be the face of the GOP.

"She's a joke," he told ABC's "This Week." "I mean, I just can't take her seriously. We have got serious problems in the country. Barack Obama is trying to handle war. We just had a guy elected Virginia governor who is probably the model for future of the Republican Party, Bob McDonnell: Pretty serious guy, pragmatic, calm, kind of boring. The idea that this potential talk show host is considered seriously for the Republican nomination, believe me, it will never happen. Republican primary voters are just not going to elect a talk show host."

Personally, I can't see how Palin helps Republicans. It's not like anyone is home with her -- there seem to be much stronger Republican candidates out there -- like Huckabee -- but they don't get the media attention. It will be interesting to be how this play out.

The 28th Amendment

Thanks to Richard in Atascadero for passing this along -- a proposed 28th Amendment to the Constitution.

Amendment 28

Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators or Representatives, and Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States .

Much Ado About Nothing

Thanks to Jeff Bliss for again joining us tonight and offered fair and balanced analysis about Tuesday's election. It's been interesting to see how the MSM has been all over the map these last 24 hours, touting the Republican victories in New Jersey and Virginia as a sign of defeat, a bad omen for Obama.

Hardly. As we discussed tonight, the exact same scenario hit Bush in November 2001. Back then, the Democrats picked up two governorships, but still went on to lose in both 2002 and 2004. Voting for governor is hardly a mandate on Washington D.C.

Meanwhile, in New York, a Democrat won for the first time since 1872. And he defeated a bona fide conservative embraced by Sarah Palin. To me, that was equally stunning news. Plus the Democrats held on to their East Bay seat. It could have been a lot worse.

I'm more worried about the Republicans than I am about Obama. the conservative wing continues to rule the roost and moderates are not welcome. So keep letting Rush and Glenn Beck pick the Republican candidates. I don't think most Americans like extremists on either side.

The larger drama for Obama is whether or not he gets health care passed by the end of the year. He'll get it through the House. The Senate? Well, that could prove more daunting. Still Obama seems in better shape today than last summer. This first year in office has been his reality check and he's had to do some growing up fast on the job. Should be an interesting Year #2.

Will vs. Cheney

Conservative columnist George Will went after former Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday, saying the Bush administration could have used some "dithering" before they invaded Iraq.

Will was responding to the VP's widely-circulated comment that President Obama was "dithering" on Afghanistan and putting troops in danger. On the contrary, Will said, it was hasty decisions that put people at risk.

"A bit of dithering might have been in order before we went into Iraq in pursuit of non-existent weapons of mass destruction," Will said on ABC's "This Week. "For a representative of the Bush administration to accuse someone of taking too much time is missing the point. We have much more to fear in this town from hasty than from slow government action."

It is interesting to see such a strong response to Cheney coming from a conservative like George Will. As we pointed out on the radio show last month, George Will also broke ranks by calling for us to withdraw from Afghanistan. However, Dick Cheney continues to be the rhetorical lightning rod of the right. Usually it's customary for former presidents and vice-presidents not to speak critically of the current administration, a practice even George W. Bush has honored. But not Cheney. He has attacked Obama repeatedly and publicly during the last 10 months. This time, however, Obama supporters are pushing back with a legitimate comparison -- how can the architect of our invasion of Iraq be so critical of a President trying to clean up the mess in Afghanistan?

Rush-ing Penalty in the NFL

Well, I have to confess that I'm feeling a bit sorry for good old Rush Limbaugh this week. Here's a guy who has more $$$$ and more influence than any 100 Americans, but he still can't be part owner of an NFL football team.

Associated Press is reporting:

"Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh has been dropped from a group seeking to buy the St. Louis Rams.

Limbaugh was to be a limited partner in a bid led by St. Louis Blues chairman Dave Checketts, but Checketts said in a statement Wednesday that Limbaugh's participation had complicated the effort. The group will move forward without him.

Checketts said he will have no further comment on the bid process. Limbaugh did not immediately respond to an e-mail sent late Wednesday seeking comment on Checketts' decision.

Limbaugh said on his radio show earlier Wednesday that he had been inundated with e-mails from listeners who supported him in the bid.

"This is not about the NFL, it's not about the St. Louis Rams, it's not about me," Limbaugh said. "This is about the ongoing effort by the left in this country, wherever you find them, in the media, the Democrat Party, or wherever, to destroy conservatism, to prevent the mainstreaming of anyone who is prominent as a conservative.

"Therefore, this is about the future of the United States of America and what kind of country we're going to have."

So is this political payback or just another attempt to smack down Rush whenever he tries to swim in the mainstream? Personally, I don't understand why the NFL doesn't want his money. They've given Michael Vick, a convicted dog killer, a second chance. Why can't Rush have a first chance? Bizarre.

Congratulations, Mr. President!

We all woke up this morning to the news that President Obama has been selected for the world's most prestigious honor -- he is the recipient of this year's Nobel Peace Prize. Obama is only the 4th U.S. President to ever receive this recognition.

All Americans -- I repeat -- ALL AMERICANS should be proud this morning. We should be proud of our President. Proud to be Americans. The Nobel Prize is a big deal.

But try telling that to conservatives, who are already jumping all over Obama and his selection:

"The unexpected news that President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize has created a remarkable bit of fury among the president's Republican opponents. One week after conservatives were exuberant with Obama's failure to secure the Olympics for his hometown of Chicago, they were left bitter and bemused that he was bestowed the world's most prestigious honor

"The real question Americans are asking is, 'What has President Obama actually accomplished?'" reads a statement from the Republican National Committee. " It is unfortunate that the president's star power has outshined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights. One thing is certain -- President Obama won't be receiving any awards from Americans for job creation, fiscal responsibility, or backing up rhetoric with concrete action."

This is sad. You can question whether or not the award is premature and I welcome those posts here. But here we have the far right trying to tear down our President every chance they have. Unlike George W. Bush, this is not a policy debate. Barack Obama is this year's recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and the only thing anyone sohuld be saying today is this:

CONGRATULATIONS, MR. PRESIDENT!