Briefly: Back to Politics

A few notes after watching the RNC last night.

- If there was ever any doubt about Sarah Palin's ability I think she answered those last night. She had to come out, be firm, charismatic and confident and she was all of these.

- I was definitely moved to see her on stage holding her new-born child who has Downs Syndrome. Regardless of politics, the realness of her and her family became evident as they stood there. I have a friend who has a child who is in a similar situation. I have and will always admire them knowing the challenges and battles they go through on a daily basis.

- I miss Tucker Carlson.

- I like MSNBC's format and presentation, so I primarily watch their coverage on events like the RNC and DNC. However, their liberal bias is painful to watch. Last week they were the media cheerleaders after each key-note speech at the DNC. However, this week they have refuted much of the speeches given at the RNC. Watching Andrea Mitchell interview Republicans on the floor is just painful. She is so spiteful and so cynical that MSNBC would be better served to remove her from the RNC. If I'm wrong, correct me. However, she clearly does not like Republicans and is trying everything in her power to degrade them when speaking to individuals from the floor of the RNC. It's really sad to see MSNBC be painfully biased. I wonder how Tim Russert would react if here were here today. I'd like to think that he would force his team to maintain journalistic integrity. Last night, Pat Buchanan tried to give a more conservative opinion on the night and Chris Matthews quickly tightened the leash, cutting Pat off in mid-sentence. Chris did the same for the one of the other panelist (Sorry couldn't find the MSNBC bios to give you her name). It's sad and painful. If you're going to cover an event and profess yourselves as a news leader then report the NEWS, not biased editorial BS.

- I hope the Republicans do a better job of aligning themselves with traditional Conservative environmental groups like Ducks Unlimited, CCA and The Wild Turkey Federation (to name a few). Many individuals that vote Democrat do so because of the perception that Democrats are more concerned about the environment. That's simply not true. All of my friends are Republicans and we are all members of DU, CCA and other conservation organizations. Much of the world's corporate CEOs, COOs, Presidents and so on are members of these same organizations. You typically don't see "Sportsmen for Obama" signs, but you always see "Sportsmen for McCain" signs. Maybe it just because I'm in the South, but every Sportsman and/or Steward of our natural resources and environment that I know is a Republican. Bottom-line, we need to do a better job of promoting our involvement with our Conservation Organizations.

*It's gameday. Carolina plays Vanderbilt tonight in the first SEC match of the year. Last year, we lost badly to Vandy. Tonight, I am hoping for revenge. Go Cocks!