Thanks 25,000 Times!

It's hard to believe we've really reached this milestone. But here we are! In fact, we're now actually averaging more than 2,000 visitors every month and are adding new visitors every minute of every day.
Thank you so much for making this blog a success.
Keep visiting - and keep telling everyone you know about us.
You inspire us to keep posting, keep writing and keep reaching out to new audiences. You are the reason for our continued success!
Thanks!

Vote In Our Poll!

What will Obama's popularity be one year from now?
Will it be 70% or more?
Will it be 30% or less?
Will it be somewhere in between?
Vote in our new poll on Obama's popularity one year out.
You can find the poll at the top right hand corner of this page.
Vote now!

'A Hero In Scrubs'

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.
- Winston Churchill
John Pryor would have frowned at all the attention.
Like so many truly good men, he was humble. While so many athletes and movie stars give little and claim much, he gave life with his hands and claimed nothing in return.
This was a person you encounter once or twice in a lifetime if you're lucky. Fortunately, many Philadelphians were.
And because they had the privilege of knowing him, they gathered at the cathedral this week to mourn. But, mostly, they were there to celebrate a luminous soul that burned brightly among them all too briefly. . . .
To read the rest of Christine Flowers' wonderful column from the Philadelphia Daily News click here.

Revealing POTUS Photo

As a PR person for many, many years I've learned that body language in posed photos can be quite telling.
Look at the historic picture above of four Presidents and one about-to-be-President.
George W. Bush stands in the middle with his hands at his side. This is what we tell most public figures when they pose for a picture like this: Just stand with your hands at your side and smile. "W" is well-trained. He does what the pros tell him to do. He also remembers his mother's advice: Be friendly, be courteous, don't call unnecessary attention to yourself.
But Jimmy Carter stands apart from the others.
He won't allow his body to even brush up against Clinton's or the others. In his self-righteous mind he's better than the rest. He stands apart.
Bill Clinton has his hands behind his back. Need I say more?
And Obama seems friendly enough but his hands tell the tale. He has struck a classic "fig leaf" pose. Stuck between "W" and "HW" he's protecting the Crown Jewels.
Then there's HW. He's his jovial self: A jolly good fellow who's just along for the ride. But don't think his defenses are completely down. After all, he does seem to have his hands in his pockets. Well, maybe that's why he seems to be in such a good mood!

NJ: Hope Spelled 'CHRISTIE!'

A message from Christopher J. Christie:

This morning I am filing papers to begin the process to become a candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor of New Jersey.
I did not take this step lightly. It was only after careful consideration and consultation with my family that I decided to become a candidate.
New Jersey is broken. New Jersey’s taxes have become so unaffordable that more families are leaving our state than moving here. Our state's business tax climate is ranked 50th in the nation and has become so unattractive to employers that only government jobs are growing in New Jersey. Yet nothing in Trenton gets done to fix these problems.
We can change this. We can solve these problems if we're willing to make the tough decisions.
In my seven years as your United States Attorney, I didn't shy away from any of the tough decisions. I took on corporate greed, political corruption, terrorism and environmental polluters. Public officials from both parties were prosecuted for corruption – more than 130 were convicted, and not one was acquitted. Corporate executives who cheated their companies and hurt their workers were successfully prosecuted. Terrorist plots were disrupted; polluters punished.
Many didn’t believe we could win these battles. We did, and with strong leadership we will win the fight for Governor and change this state for the better.
My formal announcement for Governor will come in the first week in February . . . With strong leadership now, we can fix our broken state and make it more affordable for all New Jersey families. . . .

Our website is still in formation, but please visit, www.christiefornj.com, to sign up for email updates and details about our announcement.

We applaud Chris Christie for taking this step.

And we're happy that he did not wait - that he is already engaged; that he's out front with his message and that he's ready to go.

This move by a courageous public servant gives New Jersey its first glimmer of hope in many years.

Gear up, New Jersey: A bright new dawn awaits if we can match Chris' courage with our own resolve to make it happen!

Recommended Reading

My holiday reading this year has been quite plentiful and I'm happy to recommend some of my favorites:

Audition by Barbara Walters - I've written a bit about this already.

Yes, it's a very clever title. But it's also a very substantial book - big, thorough, detailed. This is a true autobiography and it proves to be exceptionally compelling. Yes, Barbara tell us almost more than we ever wanted to know and she makes it a point to name names. But isn't that better than teasing us and leaving gaps in her story?

Deconstructing Sammy - Investigative reporter Matt Birkbeck tell us how Sammy Davis' fortune was squandered by Sammy and a cast of notorious sycophants and scoundrels. It's a sad tale that is sometimes hard to take. But it's told with such searing honesty that you can't stop reading. And so you witness the deconstructing of Sammy and his entire estate and you experience the ugly underbelly of show business. Like watching a calamity unfold and not being able to do anything to stop it.

The Legs Are The Last To Go - Diahann Carroll (pictured) tells her incredible story - from Harlem to Broadway to Hollywood. One of the most beautiful women in the world tells us what drove her to succeed and how she endured a string of bad marriages, racism, chauvinism and the rigors of a life in show business. In what is more of a memoir than an autobiography, Carroll chooses key points in her life and gives us observations and insights with surprising candor.

The Reagan I Knew by William F. Buckley - This is the book that Buckley was writing at the time of his death. It's a sweet, tender scrapbook of letters, speeches, recollections and anecdotes that gives us a rare peek into the private Ronald Reagan from a man who knew him as a friend and as a fellow soldier in the long fight to gain a conservative majority for our nation. Reagan's decency, sensitive and true grace shine through on nearly every page in this knowing tribute.

Don't Mind If I Do - George Hamilton's memoir surprises us with the story of a southern boy who learned so much from his strong-willed, high-flying momma and his talented dad. It's an unexpected story that reveals a guy who's smarter, craftier and wittier than a lot of people might think. In the end, you may actually take Hamilton more seriously than he seems to take himself. But, don't be fooled. Charm is a deliciously seductive deceiver.

Vote In Our Poll!

What will Obama's popularity be one year from now?
Will it be 70% or more?
Will it be 30% or less?
Will it be somewhere in between?
Vote in our new poll on Obama's popularity one year out.
You can find the poll at the top right hand corner of this page.
Vote now!

RNC: Franken's A Fraud

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Robert M. “Mike” Duncan issued the following statement last night:
"Al Franken's declarations of victory are as inaccurate as they are premature. This recount has taken some time and we won't know a winner for weeks to come. And, when a winner finally does emerge, we are confident it will be Norm Coleman.
During this process, Minnesotans have shown a great amount of patience and respect; Al Franken and Washington Democrats should follow their lead and do the same."

Frost/Nixon: Spellbinding!

Let me put my cards on the table so you'll understand where I'm coming from: I never voted for Richard Nixon.

I never liked him.

I never supported him. Never.

In fact, I actively opposed him. As a young citizen, I opposed him in 1960 during his first run for the White House.

I oppose him when he ran for Governor of California in 1962. Even though I lived 3,000 away from California I still perceived him to be such a threat that I wore "Pat Brown for Governor" button.

I opposed Nixon again in 1968 and was heartbroken when he won even though I wasn't exactly the most ardent Hubert Humphrey fan. And, I opposed Nixon again in 1972 even though I knew that McGovern was not the best candidate the Democrats could field.

So, I never liked Nixon and I celebrated when he was forced to resign from office.

Now that all this is our of the way I can tell you that I found the movie Frost/Nixon spellbinding. Absolutely spellbinding.

Yes, I remember the David Frost interviews. But I really wasn't aware of the complete story of the interviews until I went to see this remarkable film. The performances by Frank Langella (Nixon) and Michael Sheen (Frost) as well as Kevin Bacon, Toby Jones and Oliver Platt are all first rate. The direction by Ron Howard is tight, intense, disciplined, gripping.

If you lived through all of this, you will be awakened to the man and the times and the crisis all over again.

If you haven't, you will learn a great deal about politics, democracy, the media and our Constitution.

There is no doubt that Nixon will be studied forever.

And this film begins to put things into perspective

Nixon was a complex man -- an enigmatic, detached, difficult personality who stirred strong emotions, pro and con. And, he certainly had his grievances.

There are no heroes or villains in this film.

Instead, we see Nixon as the complicated personality that he was. And we see Frost for what he was and is. Interestingly enough, the two shared a bond that might not ordinarily be evident on first examination.

We are reminded that things are not what they might first appear to be.

This is a fascinating film -- intelligent, mature, significant.

And it deserves all the attention and all the award nominations that it is receiving.

I urge you to see Frost/Nixon!

Plethora Of Bowls

It used to be that the Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl. Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl were enough, thank you.
But now there are so many bowl games that it's staggering.
Like everything else bowl day is several days (it seems to extend forever) and its staggering.
Now you've got all these bowl games: Alamo Bowl, Armed Forces Bowl, Capital One Bowl, Champs Sports Bowl, Chick-fil-A Bowl, Eagle Bank Bowl, Emerald, Fiesta, Gator, GMAC, Hawaii Bowl, Holiday, Humanitarian, Independence, Insight, International, Las Vegas Bowl, Liberty, Meineke, Motor City, Music City, New Mexico, Papa John's Bowl, Pointsettia, St, Petersburg, Sun and Texas Bowl.
Of course, we DO congratulate Vanderbilt on winning the Music City Bowl yesterday.
And naturally, we're wishing Penn State the best in the Rose Bowl today ("JoePa! JoePah! Joe Paahh!). Plus, let's not forget Wake Forest's victory over Navy in the Eagle bank Bowl.
But where or where will it all end?!