During his recent surge in GOP presidential primary polls Newt Gingrich has claimed that he was responsible for four federal budget surpluses during his two terms as House Speaker.  The truth is otherwise.  The budget deficit begin declining in Fiscal Year 1992 (October 1, 1991-September 30, 1992) and the following figures from the Office of Management and Budget (as contained in the Census Bureau's annual Statistical Abstract of the United States) show the federal budget remained in deficit until Fiscal Year 1998 when it achieved a surplus of $69.3 billion.  In fact, this surplus increased after Gingrich resigned and was replaced as Speaker by Dennis Hastert with the surplus being $125.6 billion in Fiscal Year 1999, $236.2 billion in Fiscal Year 2000, and $128.2 billion in Fiscal Year 2001, before increased defense and non-defense spending after the 9/11 terrorist attacks brought us into a federal budget deficit again.

South Carolina's primary results are disappointing but we must remember that this is a long-term battle for the party's nomination. Gingrich's impassioned debate performances seduced enough of the Palmetto state's voters to give his campaign an additional resurrection.  Gingrich's energetic debate responses to annoying questions from journalists are not enough to produce presidential credibility.  The former speaker's indulging in George Soros and Occupy Wall Street rhetoric to bash Mitt Romney's business accomplishments plays into the Obama Administration's campaign strategy and will, as Romney asserted tonight, come back to bite us in the fall campaign if Gingrich is the GOP nominee.

While Newt Gingrich is intellectually brilliant, he is morally flawed and to undisciplined to be an effective President.  Since his second wife Marianne has asserted that he wanted an "open marriage" not long after he criticized Bill Clinton for his dalliances with Monica Lewinsky, Gingrich reveals himself to be no different than Clinton.  If a person violates their marital vows they are highly likely to violate their business or political promises.  While the President is not expected to be a saint, he or she must have enough integrity to be politically and morally credible in this country and internationally.  Newt Gingrich's conservative colleagues in the House revolted against his unstable leadership as Speaker after only two terms because he was so undisciplined in his leadership.  Do we want to nominate as our presidential candidate a man who is personally undisciplined and an adulterer? An extremely troubling aspect of his response to John King's opening question in tonight's CNN debate, was when he referred to Marianne as "an ex-wife."  This is a horribly impersonal and dehumanizing response since he refers to her as a commodity instead of a person.  Since just over half of the electorate is female, that sends a horrible signal of our values and priorities as conservatives to voters who are not necessarily conservative but may be receptive to our message as we campaign against the egregiously incompetent and spendthrift Barack Obama.  

Barack Obama has often proclaimed his desire to create shovel ready jobs.  He had an excellent opportunity to fulfill this rhetoric by approving the Keystone XL pipeline which would deliver oil and natural gas from Canada's energy rich province of Alberta to the Gulf Coast.  This project was supported by the Canadian Government, the petroleum industry, and Obama's ostensible labor union allies.  It would even have provided tangible political support to his reelection bid.  If approved, Keystone XL would have provided numerous long-term jobs to assist the economy, decrease our dependence on unreliable petroleum from hostile countries, and have had significant environmental safeguards to prevent and/or mitigate environmental damage from pipeline spills.  Contrary to what environmentalist extremist organizations like Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth tell you, oil companies actually care about the environment and strive to be responsible environmental stewards as they access and deliver their products and services.

There has been a lot of hysteria by the chattering classes about recent revelations that U.S. Marine Corps personnel were videotaped urinating on the corpses of dead Taliban terrorists.  While such action by our forces is not professional and will undergo military adjudication, it needs to be kept in perspective. War is hell and unpleasant things happen while it is being conducted.  Lets take a few minutes to consider the nature of the enemy we are fighting in Afghanistan.  The Taliban imposed a sadistic medieval style tyranny over Afghanistan repressing women, requiring men to wear beards, prohibiting music,  closing schools, and seeking to kill anyone who did not conform to their worldview. The Taliban sheltered Al Qaida enabling them to launch the 9/11 terrorist attacks from Afghanistan and other terrorist operations against the U.S. and its allies.  They continue to fight a tenacious and aggressive war against the current Afghan government and against U.S. and ISAF allies who are seeking to create a relative semblance of stability so Afghanistan can stand on its feet and have a chance to be a somewhat normal country.

Tonight's victory by Mitt Romney in the GOP presidential primary is not surprising but very welcome.  Mitt survived a bizarre infestation of Democratic class warfare over the weekend from Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, and Rick Santorum.  It was as if "Occupy Wall Street" protesters temporarily took possession of these individuals souls and caused them to spout socialist rhetoric criticizing the core essentials of American free market economics which is a key tenet of conservative thought.  Fortunately, New Hampshire voters were smart enough to see through this bizarre demagoguery.  Romney's victory speech saw him demonstrate a passion he's often falsely accused of lacking and presenting a positive and empowering vision of America's future which you will never get from Barack Obama and his failed presidency. While I don't normally praise Ron Paul, I have to give him major credit today for criticizing the Democratic rhetoric emanating from Gingrich and Perry about Romney's activities at Bain Corp.

Another busy year of reading books of all kinds and qualities.  Since many news magazines have individuals contribute their valued readings for this year in their December issues, I'll take the same path.  This year saw the beginning of Civil War sesquicentennial commemorations and since I was able to see the Civil War battlefields of Pea Ridge in Arkansas and Wilson's Creek in Missouri, I'll start with this genre.  The four volume collection of works by Gordon Rhea on Virginia's bloody 1864 Overland Campaign (The Battle of the Wilderness, The Battles for Spotsylvania Court House and the Road to Yellow Tavern, To the North Anna River, and Cold Harbor-all published by LSU Press) are masterfully researched, written, and documented accounts of these bloody struggles between Lee and Grant in May and June 1864.  Another Civil War work I enjoyed is Earl Hess' The Union Soldier in Battle:  Enduring the Ordeal of Combat (University Press of Kansas) which focuses on the multiple physical and psychological experiences of Union soldiers in combat.

Texas Congressman Ron Paul is enjoying what will hopefully be an ephemeral ascension in public opinion polls leading up to the Iowa caucuses.  Paul, a perennial presidential candidate, has been able to ride the wave of populist dissension with the Obama presidency and its concomitant increase in federal spending and power, to the upper echelon of political polls monitoring Hawkeye State opinion on GOP presidential candidate flavors du jour.  Paul's ability to raise significant quantities of money online and his fanatical followers (Paulbots) have taken him farther than any other eccentric protest candidate would normally get.

This past week the world witnessed the death of two leaders of contrasting accomplishments, styles, and legacies.  The Czech Republic's former President Vaclav Havel died leaving his country and Europe a freer and better place despite is current economic problems.  Havel was a playwright who enjoyed the company of fellow intellectuals.  Most importantly, he was an unswerving advocate of freedom and a staunch opponent of Communism.  Havel experienced the evils of Communism at first hand when the Soviets crushed the Prague Spring movement in 1968 and during his imprisonment following his founding of the Charter 77 democratic reform movement within his country.  Following his country's Velvet Revolution in 1989 and the collapse of the Soviet bloc, Havel became President and achieved international respect for his integrity and for guiding, with the help of leaders like Vaclav Klaus, what would become known as the Czech Republic into a more democratic and prosperous future.  The Czech Republic is now a member of the European Union and of NATO and is a valued contributor to the international freedom promotion agenda.  Czech troops have served in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Freedom loving people of all political persuasions should be grateful for Havel's career and legacy and extend our heartfelt sympathies to his family and to the Czech people.  

Richard Lugar has been Indiana's U.S. Senator from 1976.  Although not a movement conservative, he holds a generally conservative record during his 3 1/2 decades in the U.S. Senate and has a international reputation for superb constituent service, intellectual acumen, prescient statesmanship, personal integrity, and an unswerving commitment to serving Indiana's residents and advancing American national interests.  Has he voted the right way on every single issue?  Of course not.  I think a flat tax is preferable to the fair tax.  I disagree with his voting for Justice Kagan, his support for the latest arms control treaty with the Russian Federation, and an occasional item here and there including some earmarks.  We must remember that even the legislators we like and respect will not vote the way we want everytime.  Senators are supposed to serve the national interest instead of the selfish aspirations of individuals and interest groups.

The 2012 GOP presidential primary has been like a speed dating convention on espresso during its first few months.  Michelle Bachman was the first belle of the ball winning an Iowa straw poll than fading.  The candidacy of Texas Governor Rick Perry set many hearts a flutter until he tripped himself up over his liberal immigration policies and his congenital inability to be an effective debater.  Ron Paul and his bizarre band of fanatic acolytes spouting their isolationist drivel, proclaiming their alleged commitment to constitutional conservatism which did not even exist in 1787 let alone in 2011, and their abject pandering to Jacksonian anti-Federal Reserve pablum will endure but have no real qualitative impact on who becomes the eventual GOP nominee.  Herman Cain enjoyed a few weeks in the spotlight thanks to his congenial personality and marketing driven 999 plan.  Cain torpedoed himself with the unrealistic nature and financial implausibility of 999, his abject ignorance of international affairs, and a series of what Bill Clinton's campaign managers once described as "bimbo eruptions" that have reduced him to an irrelevancy.

Today, the congressional supercommittee charged with coming with credible spending cuts to reduce the national budget, announced that it had failed in its task.  If the status quo continue, the nation will face enormous mandated cuts in governmental spending in 2013 that will do grievous damage to our military.  All of the committee's Republicans are solid and substantive conservatives who, undoubtedly, tried to do their best to achieve prudent spending reductions.  Committee Republicans were even receptive to some revenue enhancement measures such as closing tax loopholes.  Unfortunately, they were stymied by committee Democrats.  With the arguable exception of Montana Senator Max Baucus, all of the committee Democrats are hustlers for the welfare state including the Vice-Chair Washington Senator Patty "Liberal Mom with Tennis Shoes" Murray.  The biggest political loser in this is Barack Obama.  Mr. Hope and Change proved he's more interested in political campaigning than reducing the size of our national debt or providing serious leadership on the mechanics of governmental economic policymaking.  Obama could have played a constructive leadership role in  helping this committee to achieve agreement if he were a real President like Ronald Reagan.   Instead, he continues engaging in infantile class warfare rhetoric and egging on imbecilic "Occupy Wall Street" demonstrators instead of offering credible policy proposals.

Herman Cain's presidential campaign has been rocked and may be derailed by charges of sexual harassment.  Cain and his campaign have not helped themselves by their inept response to these developments.  It's hard to separate truth from fiction in this matter.  If these charges are true, then Cain is a degenerate who would have been  "ethically qualified" to serve in the Kennedy and Clinton Administrations.  Coming on the 20th anniversary of Anita Hill's bogus sexual harassment charges against Justice Clarence Thomas during his confirmation hearings, the timing of these charges has been particularly propitious for promoters of liberal political correctness.

There are people in this world who love to draw attention to themselves by point out pressing issues without offering credible solutions to solve these issues.  Princeton University Professor Cornel West is one of these individuals.  West, along with his PBS partner in crime, Tavis Smiley have been protesting the rising occurrence of poverty in American society.  They have denounced allegedly rapacious bankers and Wall Street investors, and even have timidly criticized Barack Obama for this sad situation..  However, West and Smiley are the latest in the long line of self-serving leftist blowhards who are more interested in self-promotion than actually contributing to constructive public debate.

West, or Brother West, as his drooling disciples call him has lived a charmed live in the creme de la creme at America's preeminent academic institutions.  He was a professor for many years at Harvard until the university's former President Larry Summers dismissed him for devoting to much time to his celebrity role as a "public intellectual" and not enough time to teaching and conducting work appropriate academic research.  The prolific West founded a soft landing waiting for him at Princeton University and took his golden parachute down the Atlantic seaboard. 

Since Princeton is a private university, it's not possible to find out how much West earns for his "services" to this institution.  However, it's safe to say he has a comfortable six figure income just from his salary and benefits.  Unfortunately, New Jersey does not provide unrestricted public access to local property tax records, like my state of Indiana does, but a commercial website lists the median house price for Princeton as being $442,675.  In addition, 2009 statistics from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey reveal that this community's median annual family income is $147,819.  Perhaps West lives in a gated community within Princeton with various kinds of restrictive covenants to keep non-liberal riff-raff away.  A January 2002 National Review critique of West revealed his lecture fee was $15,000 per appearance at the time.  I expect that inflationary upgrades and ego enhancements have increased that drastically over the last decade.

The recent rise in poverty is a cause for concern but West, Smiley, and others of the Occupy Wall Street cult are advocating the wrong answers.  You would think West would be familiar with the works of Edward Banfield, Charles Murray, and Marvin Olasky which have thoroughly documented the abysmal failure of Great Society antipoverty programs and the devastating damage they've caused Black families.  West and his acolytes should also consult government statistics put out by agencies as diverse as the Census Bureau, Federal Reserve Board, Government Accountability Office,  and Bureau of Labor Statistics to demonstrate the failure of government antipoverty programs and the acute financial situation our country faces due to personal and governmental financial profligacy.  Of course, factual reality is a concept beyond Cornel West's grasp, since he remains stuck in a Jim Crow time warp and conducts himself like a aging 60's radical who tries to be cool by embracing rap music and presenting a Shaft Goth couture image and persona for the 21st century world of instantaneous communication and media exposure.

It would be interesting to see West's recent itemized federal income tax returns.  There's a Pulitzer Prize waiting for any investigator who can find out what charitable contributions, if any, West has made.  Has he helped Habitat for Humanity or provided direct financial assistance to a New Jersey charter school like Facebook founder Marc Zuckerberg did?  West and Smiley should tell their followers and the Occupy Wall Street dregs to embrace individual personal moral responsibility, staying in school, planning for their future, and striving to better themselves personally and financially instead of blaming "the man", casting anti-Semitic slurs on financial leaders and institutions, denouncing the "capitalist system," and embracing socialism despite its multiple failures.  As an academic, West should embrace the moral responsibility to inspire and uplift students instead of promoting an ideology of victimization.  West and his sycophants may think he's a modern day example of the Old Testament prophet Amos crying out against societal injustices but biblical quality prophecy is beyond West's capabilities.

Unfortunately for West, he can't deal with the failure of Barack Obama's Keynesian redistributive delusions which have weakened our economy, created further moral decline, and injured our standing in the world despite laudable drone strikes against Islamist terrorists.  West forgets that Amos was not a publicity seeking demagogue, but a concerned and patriotic Jew concerned about his country's moral standing and that Amos did not advocate public policies which failed to improve Israel's spiritual condition.  A better biblical analogy to describe Cornel West and his self-serving public advocacy of failed policies is provided in Proverbs 26:11 which informs us "As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly."  Scripture provides ample additional examples of fools and their behavior who are historical antecedents of Cornel West.

Last night saw the latest in the series of Republican presidential debates occur in Las Vegas.  Most of the usual candidates were there except for Jon Huntsman.  Rick Perry actually demonstrated a pulse for the first time in these debates although he wasted his energy on Romney's Massachusetts health care plan which has moved on what it was in the nearly five years since Romney left the governor's office.  Perry wasted more energy with his petulant attack on Romney for having supposedly let an illegal alien work on his Massachusetts residence a few years ago.  Romney said he had the alien and their employer fired once he found out about this.

Rick Perry has zero credibility on the illegal immigration issue because of his college tuition subsidy for these individuals.  Does Perry expect every potential political candidate to conduct an indepth background investigation of all individuals and firms who work on their house?  Do we have to everify the cashier every time we go to the grocery or department stores?  I'm against illegal immigration as much as anybody, but we're really getting into nanny state territory every time some one asks us if we've associated with illegal aliens.

I like Rick Santorum's strong commitment to traditional moral values and his desire to emphasize how the decline in such values has economic and sociological impacts on our society.  Unfortunately, he comes across as needy and he neglected to tell the audience last night that the individual he defeated in the 1994 Pennsylvania Senate race was Harris Wofford instead of Bill Clinton's electoral impresarios Paul Begala and James Carville.

Romney showed true passion when debating Perry, kept his cool when attacked by Santorum and Perry, and Herman Cain's 999 plan got well-deserved criticism for its manifold weaknesses.  Despite the contentiousness of segments of last night's debate, American political debate is like old ladies at a tea party when compared with British parliamentary style question times.  Cain's foreign policy unsuitably was again demonstrated when he essentially stated that he would consider trading Al Qaeda prisoners at Guantanamo for American hostages.  Such dangerous naivete cannot be tolerated from a presidential candidate.

The most irritating thing at last night debate was the sophomoric performance of CNN's Anderson Cooper.  CNN is a decidedly leftist network, but Cooper was more interested in promoting discord among the GOP candidates and demonstrating his leftist street cred than promoting serious discussion of the policy issues facing this country.  For instance, Cooper went wacko on Dallas minister Robert Jeffress' criticism of Mormonism as a cult.  Perry had already said he disagreed with Jeffress' appraisal but Anderson, being the unctuous left-wing student government type that he is, insisted on Perry and other candidates repudiating Jeffras.  What the candidates should have told Cooper was that they were not going to play his infantile left-wing college thought police political correctness game. 

One unfortunate profile in cowardice by all candidates in last night's debate was their refusal to endorse the scientifically sound and research endorsed finding that Nevada's Yucca Mountain is the best and safest repository for the  U.S.' nuclear waste.  This has been an issue that has dragged on for to long due to the whining of Nevada politicos.  No other state is going to have enough empty space that is geologically suited for this responsibility.  A possible compromise would be placing the waste on Harry Reid's property.   Speaking of property, another failure of courage last night was in responding to a question about the mortgage foreclosure crisis.  While it is valid to criticize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and predatory lenders in some case, none of the candidates had the courage to denounce individuals who knowingly buy more house than they can afford to pay for and expect taxpayers to subsidize their financial incompetence.  The candidates should have said that a household mortgage is not a Las Vegas crap shoot, but comparable to a marriage in that it has to be worked on and attended to regularly and that individuals and families must learn to live within their means and not give a hoot about the social status of their residence.

It would be nice if we had journalists intelligent enough to ask questions of real substance.  For instance, last night Ron Paul said he'd eliminate the Interior Department.  One question that could be asked of him is whether he favors turning national parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite and national military parks like Gettysburg to the private sector and how we would preserve the natural, historical, and cultural integrity of these sites?  Michelle Bachman should be asked what specific statutory or regulatory evidence she has that the controversial Independent Payment Advisory Board in Obamacare will be a "death panel."?

Samples of additional probing questions would be:

Do you think China and the U.S. are destined for military conflict within the next two decades?  If so, what steps will you take to ensure U.S. victory?

Do you favor getting rid of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and eliminating federal bureaucracies that have kept American Indians from becoming full participants in the American dream?

What personal and business loopholes do you favor removing from the tax code and why?

What specific policy steps will you take to decrease direct governmental involvement in the agricultural sector and will these steps be part of the next quinquennial farm bill?  Describe how these steps will increase competition and lower food prices.
While obtaining greater energy independence is desirable, the U.S. is to populous and technologically productive to be completely energy independent. What specific steps will you take to promote increased domestic energy production and conservation?

The Arctic Ocean is becoming an increasingly important international trade route due to climate change and it's vast mineral resources also have attracted the interest of the U.S. and other international powers.  What specific steps will you take to advance U.S. interests in this region and prevent powers such as Russia and China having hegemony over this region?

What steps will you take to prevent imbecilic programs such as the Obama Administration's Fast and Furious from being implemented?

What steps will you take to reduce U.S. drug consumption which provides financial sustenance to Mexican and Latin American narco-terrorists?