Romney Gets Anti-Endorsement from NH Newspaper

The New Hampshire Concord Monitor made an anti-endorsement instead of an endorsement for the Republican presidential nomination for 2008. The paper's editors told readers why Mitt Romney "surely must be stopped."

The paper said: "When New Hampshire partisans are asked to defend the state's first-in-the-nation primary, we talk about our ability to see the candidates up close, ask tough questions and see through the baloney. If a candidate is a phony, we assure ourselves and the rest of the world, we'll know it. Mitt Romney is such a candidate. New Hampshire Republicans and independents must vote no."

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from Conservative President 2008!

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
-John 3:16

Fmr. Sen. Bob Smith Endorses Hunter

Former New Hampshire Senator Bob Smith endorsed Duncan Hunter for President today. "Congressman Hunter is a moral man, an inspirational leader and a no nonsense conservative who will always put 'principle above politics' in the image of the late great New Hampshire patriot Meldrim Thomson," said Smith.

Smith served in the U.S. Senate from 1990-2003 and made a brief run for President in 2000 as a Republican, Constitution candidate and Independent before dropping out and endorsing Bush. In 2004 Smith, after losing re-nomination in 2002 and moving to Florida to be a real estate agent, endorsed Democrat John Kerry for President because of Kerry's plan to reduce the national debt.

It has also been rumored that Smith is considering making a run for the Constitution Party presidential nomination in 2008.

Tancredo Quits Race, Endorses Romney

Tom Tancredo ended his campaign for the Republican nomination today and endorsed Mitt Romney.

The Colorado congressman ended his campaign because he did not want to be a spoiler that could lead to a candidate that is weak on immigration getting the nomination. Tancredo said that Romney has a "solid record" on immigration and he could "go the distance."

Phillies Will Not Swear Oath on Bible

If Libertarian presidential hopeful George Phillies wins the presidency he will not take the oath of office on the Bible but on the Constitution.

"When a President takes office, he should place his hand in one place: on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights he is swearing to protect. And then, having sworn to protect our Constitution, he should do so," says Phillies.

He concludes that: "Unlike Mr. Romney and his Republican religious extremist cohorts, I will protect and defend America, our Constitution and our Bill of Rights, not proselytize for one faith or another. I will protect freedom for people of all beliefs by swearing on the very document that guarantees those freedoms."

Paul: Huckabee May Be A Fascist

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul says that Mike Huckabee's Christmas ad in which Huckabee mentions Christ reminds him "of what Sinclair Lewis once said. He says, 'When fascism comes to this country, it will be wrapped in the flag, carrying a cross.'"

Paul did go onto say that: "Now I don't know whether that's a fair assessment or not, but you wonder about using a cross, like he is the only Christian or implying that subtly."

Columnist James P. Pinkerton pointed out this quoteabout the Bible from President Franklin Roosevelt, who fought fascism: "It is a fountain of strength ... a comprehensive study of the Bible is a liberal education for anyone."

Conservative Independent Candidate Interview Thursday

Conservative independent presidential candidate Susan Ducey will be on This Is Politics Thursday night at 6:00 PM (ET).

Ducey is a registered nurse from Kansas and made a long shot run for the Republican nomination for president in 1996 and until recently she was running for the GOP nomination for a second time before switching to Independent.

Romney: Huckabee Too Liberal

Mitt Romney has attacked Mike Huckabee as being too liberal to get to get the GOP nomination. Romney said that the former Arkansas governor has been: "too liberal on immigration," "too liberal on crime" and "too liberal of a spending record and too liberal of a tax record."

"I'm convinced that as people take a close look, that the good, conservative Republicans of South Carolina will be supporting a conservative candidate like myself and they won't be supporting governor Huckabee," says Romney despite a poll that shows Huckabee with a small lead in South Carolina.

Cort for President Ad

Lieberman Endorses McCain

Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, who was the 2000 Democratic Vice presidential nominee, endorsed Republican John McCain for President today.

"I know that it is unusual for someone who is not a Republican to endorse a Republican candidate for President. And if this were an ordinary time and an ordinary election, I probably would not be here today. But this is no ordinary time -- and this is no ordinary election -- and John McCain is no ordinary candidate," said Lieberman, who lost the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate last year but won re-election as an Indpendent.

He went onto say: "You may not agree with John McCain on every issue, but you can always count on him to be honest with you about where he stands, you can always count on him to stand for what he believes is right for our country -- regardless of pressure from politicians or vested interests. And you can count on him to be restless in pursuit of progress. In that sense, John McCain is the real change candidate in this race for the Presidency."

Final GOP Debate Before Iowa Caucus Highlights

Three Papers Endorse McCain Today

The Des Moines Register, Boston Globe and the New Hampshire Portsmouth Harald endorsed Sen. John McCain for the Republican presidential nomination today.

"McCain is most ready to lead America in a complex and dangerous world and to rebuild trust at home and abroad by inspiring confidence in his leadership," the Register says.

The Boston Globe says that: "As a lawmaker and as a candidate, McCain has done more than his share to transcend partisanship and promote an honest discussion of the problems facing the United States. He deserves the opportunity to represent his party in November's election."

Finally, the Portsmouth Harald is supporting McCain because: he "has been leading the country from his seat in the U.S. Senate for 20 years. He is a man of integrity and honor who would help the Republicans rid themselves of the stench of Jack Abramoff and other lobbyists and allow the GOP to reclaim its status as the party of fiscal restraint. He is a strong military man prepared from day one to defend our nation against its enemies. Of all the Republicans running, he is by far the best qualified to lead our country."

You can read the full endorsements at www.johnmccain.com.

LP Candidate On TIP Monday

Libertarian party presidential candidate Jim Burns will be on This is Politics on Monday at 6:00 PM (ET).

Burns served two times as the Nevada chairman of the Libertarian Party and has run for various offices as both a Libertarian and a Republican. You can visite his website at: http://www.jimburnsforpresident.com/.

Poll: Paul Would Lose to Democrat

Rasmussen Reports released two polls today matching up Ron Paul as the Republican nominee against Hillary Clinton in one and Barak Obama in another.

Poll #1 results: Clinton (D): 49%, Paul (R): 37%, undecided and other: 14%
Poll #2 results: Obama (D): 50%, Paul (R): 31%, undecided and other: 19%

National Review Endorses Romney

The conservative National Review magazine has endorsed Mitt Romney for President. "Our guiding principle has always been to select the most conservative viable candidate. In our judgment, that candidate is Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts," say the magazine editors.

They go onto say: "Some conservatives question his sincerity. It is true that he has reversed some of his positions. But we should be careful not to overstate how much he has changed. In 1994, when he tried to unseat Ted Kennedy, he ran against higher taxes and government-run health care, and for school choice, a balanced budget amendment, welfare reform, and 'tougher measures to stop illegal immigration.' He was no Rockefeller Republican even then."

CBS News Covers Fendig Campaign

Republican presidential candidate Cap Fendig, who appeared on This Is Politics last Saturday, was featured in an article on the CBS News website in late November.

"I am here to represent the 'little guy' of America," Fendig says. His daughter, Mary Ellyse Fendig, goes onto say that: "He does just hold a local office, but he does a lot of state policy and he's very involved in things that affect our county. But I feel like that's like saying, 'If the Gamecocks thought they couldn't win, they wouldn't still try.' It's a personal ambition of his."

Cap Fendig currently serves as the St. Simons, Georgia, county commissioner and you can visit him on the web at: http://www.capfendig.com/.

Keyes Won't Support Giuliani

In the last Republican presidential candidate debate before the Iowa caucus on January 3 Alan Keyes said that if Rudy Giuliani becomes the nominee he will not support him.

During today's debate, only the second nationally televised debate to include Keyes and the first one in which Keyes and Giulaini shared the platform, the L.A. Times blog reports that: "Keyes pointedly remarked toward the end of today's GOP debate in Iowa that, given his commitment to human life from "the womb to the tomb," he could not back Giuliani (in case anyone was wondering)."

There has been quite a lot of speculation the Keyes will run for the Constitution Party nomination after the Republican primaries.

Gilchrist Backs Huckabee

Minuteman Project founder and 2005 American Independent (California Constitution Party) congressional candidate turned Republican Jim Gilchrist has endorsed Republican Mike Huckabee for president.

"The governor has a [illegal immigration] plan and I appreciate his plan. That's why I'm supporting him. He's one of the few who's actually brought forth a plan and gone public with it. It shows to me that he's willing to engage in the tough love necessary to fix this problem," said Gilchrist.

Republican presidential candidate Tom Tancredo campaigned for Gilchrist in his 2005 race and Gilchrist has previously expressed interest in seeking the 2008 presidential nomination of the Constitution Party.

Libertarians to Face Off Thursday

Libertarian presidential candidates Steve Kubby, Mike Jingozian and John Finan will face off in the second Libertarian debate hosted by This Is Politics on Thursday at 5:30 PM (ET). Be sure to tune in at www.blogtalkradio.com/tip and call in with any questions you may have for the candidates.

Romney Launches Huckabee Attack Ad

Huckabee, Giuliani In Virtual Tie Nationally

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani are in a virtual tie in the most recent national poll released today from CNN/Opinion Research Corporation.

The poll finds Giuliani at 24% and Huckabee at 22%, within the 5% margin of error. Mitt Romney is at 16%, McCain 12%, Thompson 10% and Ron Paul at 6%. Duncan Hunter has just 2% of support in this poll with Tom Tancredo coming in last with 1%.

Paul Slams Door on Libertarian Party Run

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul will not be seeking the Libertarian Party's nomination despite an invitation from Libertarian National Commitee for him to do so.

A spokesman for the Paul campaign said that: "Ron has no intention to run third party whatsoever."

LNC Supports Ron Paul Candidacy

The Libertarian National Committee voted unanimously this weekend to welcome Ron Paul to seek their nomination if he loses the Republican nomination.

The resulation stated that: "In the event that Republican primary voters select a candidate other than Congressman Paul in February of 2008, the Libertarian National Committee invites Congressman Ron Paul to seek the presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party to be decided in Denver, Colorado during the Memorial Day weekend of 2008."

Tancredo Boycotts Spanish-language Debate

Republican presidential candidate Rep. Tom Tancredo is boycotting today's debate hosted by Univison that will be presented in the Spanish language.

Tancredo said in a press release Friday that: "It is the law that to become a naturalized citizen of this country you must have knowledge and understanding of English, including a basic ability to read, write, and speak the language. So what may I ask are our presidential candidates doing participating in a Spanish speaking debate?"

Republican National Hispanic Assembly chairman Danny Vargas said that Tancredo is missing a chance to reach out to voters saying that: "You've got third generation Americans who maybe just prefer watching the programing on that particular channel. It's the fifth largest network (in terms of viewers) in the country."

Romney Would 'Serve No One Religion'

Addressing his Mormon faith in a speech Thursday night Republican Mitt Romney said that as President he would "serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause. A president must serve only the common cause of the people of the United States."

He wento onto say: "It is important to recognize that, while differences in theology exist between the churches in America, we share a common creed of moral convictions."

Republican Presidential Candidate Interview Sat.

Republican presidential candidate Cap Fendig will be on This Is Politics this Saturday for a half hour interview at 8:00 PM (ET).

Huckabee Defends Role in Parole of Convicted Rapist Who Went on to Kill

Mike Huckabee is now under fire as to his role in the parole of a rapist that went on to kill.

Fox News reports that: "Huckabee acknowledged that shortly after becoming governor in 1996 he did visit the parole board — all appointees of his predecessors, Bill Clinton and Jim Guy Tucker — so he could offer his views on crime and parole in general, and the Dumond case came up during that meeting."

You can read all the details HERE.

Huckabee New Front Runner

Mike Huckabee is currently leading the Republican field according to a new poll released today from Rasmussen Reports.

Huckabee is on top with 20% with Giuliani hitting an all time low of 17%. McCain and Romney are at 13%, Fred Thompson 10% and Ron Paul has 7%.

NH Union Leader Endorses McCain

The conservative New Hampshire Union Leader newspaper has endorsed Sen. John McCain for the Republican presidential nomination.

"We don't agree with him on every issue. We disagree with him strongly on campaign finance reform. What is most compelling about McCain, however, is that his record, his character, and his courage show him to be the most trustworthy, competent, and conservative of all those seeking the nomination." says the Leader.

The endorsement article goes onto say that "John McCain is the man to lead America."