Once again, I find myself asking just what the hell was the whole point of the Iran brouhaha.  Did the Iranian government want to show the world they have big, brass balls?  If so, they failed.  They’ve only reinforced the impression many in the world community already have:  that they are a corrupt government of bullies. 

At the very least the British soldiers will be coming home.

I find myself wondering how Republicans are feeling about their chances for keeping the White House in 2008.  After eight years of President Bush II it seems like the American people are looking for a change.  I don’t know if that means we’ll have a Democrat in the White House on January 21, 2009, but if overall fund raising is any indication then things are looking up.  Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama are neck-and-neck in terms of fund raising, which must really piss of the former first lady.  In fact,  Clinton and Obama together brought in as much as the combined Republican candidates!  As a total, the Democratic candidates outperformed the Republican candidates by $27 million.  That’s quite a number.

I find several things interesting on the Republican side.  First, there’s John McCain, who after pandering to the religious right finds himself still in a distant third place from the front-runner.  The senator may not see it himself, but I think his unbending stance on Iraq and inability to see the real problems there are playing  a major role in his failure to be higher up on that list. 

Second, there’s Rudolph Giuliani.  The self-appointed Mayor of America has been able to create quite a lucrative career off the attacks of September 11, 2001.  Of all the candidates I would think he be closer to the top.  Of course, Giuliani’s problems are massive.  Leaving behind all the marital issues, which most people don’t really give a shit about anymore, Giuliani is known to be pro-choice and more gay-friendly than right-wing Republicans would like their candidate to be.  In fact, I think it’s the pro-gay stance that his hurting him more considering what a lighting rod the issue has become in the last year or so.

Third, there’s Mitt Romney.  The former head of the Salt Lake Winter Olympics who came out of nowhere to win election as Liberal Massachusetts very Conservative governor.  I don’t think it’s all that surprising Romney is leading the pack.  Even though some his former positions on the 2nd Amendment, abortion, and gays could be considered moderate to Liberal, he’s been able to morph into a proper right-wing Republican and repent all those heathen ideals.  But can Romney last to the final day?  While I could care less what his religion is, there are people in this country who would not want to see a Mormon elected to office.  Sadly, many of those people would call themselves Christians.  We moved past the whole Catholic issue when JFK was elected, but even today Mormons are often ridiculed and their religion dismissed as fake, or worse, by some Christian leaders.

Only time will tell, of course.  I still think both McCain and Giuliani could make inroads as we head towards election 2008.  Not to mention anything could happen between now and then.  Democrats are riding a high right now, but whether or not that can last is the question.