Well, well, well. Ellen and I have certainly taken heat from other conservatives over our truthful expose of Shark Tank Blogger Javier Manjarres. Looks like we’ve finally been vindicated…by “El Sharko” himself. From Red Broward:

On Monday evening, the monthly Broward GOP meeting turned into a scene right out of Perry Mason or Law & Order.  In front of several hundred Broward Republican activists, Nezar Hamze admitted that Javier Manjarres of The Shark Tank blog “encouraged” him to join the Broward GOP.

Mr. Hamze, executive director of CAIR South Florida, is an outspoken critic of Congressman Allen West and U.S. Senate candidate Adam Hasner. He submitted an application to join the Broward Republican Executive Committee. The application asks:

“Whom may we thank for referring you.“

BREC Vice Chair Collen Stolberg read aloud the names on Hamze’s application. One of those names was Javier Manjarres. Mr. Manjarres, an alternate committeeman and editor of The Shark Tank blog, rushed to the front of the room to deny he recommended Hamze. BREC Chairman Richard DeNapoli ask Stolberg to read the form again. She read the same names.

Then, in front of the entire audience, Hamze told Manjarres, “you’re the one that told me you believed in freedom of religion, and that I should join the BREC.”

After his role in this publicity stunt was exposed, Manjarres returned to his seat amid considerable boos and jeers from the audience.

The Committee held a vote by secret ballot on Hamze’s application for membership. De Napoli announced Hamze had been denied membership by a vote of 158 to 11.

In a videotaped interview following the meeting, Mr. Hamze told REDBROWARD.COM that Javier Manjarres did in fact “encourage” him to join the Broward GOP. Unhappy with the information going public, Mr. Manjarres chased the REDBROWARD reporter around the meeting room with his video camera. Later, in a quote in The Miami Herald, Mr. Manjarres stated, “It was a set up.”

Manjarres and Hamze have had extensive contact. Hamze’s attempt to join the Broward GOP has been the subject of numerous Shark Tank stories.

Visit Red Broward for the full story. And check out this video:

In case you were not there, or were unable to see history being made on television, here are some video clips of the GOP Presidential debate in Tampa Florida on September 12th, 2011! I was lucky enough to be there!

The Tea Party Express teamed up with CNN for the first ever event of its kind….a Presidential Debate where the media teamed up with WE THE PEOPLE! In previous debates the questions were developed by the media. In this debate the comments were drawn from “Joe & JoAnn Citizen”. Prior to attending the debate we had to go through a security check with CNN. We were given the chance to submit our questions to the team at Turner Broadcasting. Not everyone’s questions were submitted as they used questions from various debate watch parties across the country as well as questions asked via Twitter & email.

The entire experience was one I will never forget! I do not yet have a dog in this race as I am waiting to see whether or not Sarah Palin jumps in. Too many people are committing to political campaigns knowing full well that if Palin announces they will jump ship for her! I am saving my energy and resources for Sarah!

Here is the most ridiculous moment of the debate…Ron Paul strikes again!

Here you can see me @ 1:58 “>upset after Rick Perry states “it does not matter how you got here” referring to children of illegals! With that attitude we will never solve the problem of illegal immigration!

Here are some images from the debate….you can see my friends and I in pictures #13 and #16

Over at Revolutionary Media, I posted my reflections on the 10th (!) anniversary of a day that will forever live in infamy:

It’s almost unfathomable that we are already marking ten years since the worst attack on American soil murdered 3,000 innocents and awakened us (those of us who are willing to study history and consider the facts, unburdened by political castration — to use my friend WARCHICK’s term) to the stark realities of political Islam, global jihad and Sharia Law.

Heralding the 10th anniversary of the most horrific attack on American soil, the question “Where were you on September 11?” has been making the rounds on Facebook and other social media sites, with answers as varied and diverse as the American populace itself. One I highly recommend comes from my Facebook friend Stephanie Janiczek, who at the time worked for the Leadership Institute in D.C:

Ten years ago today I was working at the Leadership Institute. I was the Assistant Director of Employment Placement and helping conservatives with their resumes and finding jobs in Washington DC. It never occured to me that by noon September 11, 2001, that world I was living in and making a life for myself in would forever be altered. I can’t think of anyone I know who saw 9-11 up close and personal who does not feel that way. What we saw was history in all of its awful brutality.

We remember the little things more clearly I think than the bigger moments of that day. We all remember 9-11-01 being a gorgeous late summer day. The sun was already slowly making its way towards the south, the slant of its light made a dance of diamonds on the gentle rolling waves of the Potomac, and the  rivers surrounding Manhattan. There was an edge to the air, the slight whisper of autumn. That was how 9-11-01 began. And by the end of that day, as the tired summer’s sun  faded into the west, it was still a glorious day…a horrible glorious day.

I grew up hearing about Pearl Harbor, my parents walking into an apartment in Chicago where my grandparents lived and being told Pearl Harbor had been attacked and according to my Mom, her aunt telling her that it was the end of the world. Did our horror on that day in September of 2001 reflect the same horror that our parents and grandparents felt upon hearing about Pearl Harbor? Is horror of being attacked by a military entity like the Japanese Navy the same as the horror we felt on 9-11? Is the evil that drove the Nazis and the Japanese Empire the same kind of evil that drove Bin Laden? Does evil morph itself into different things in order to perpetuate itself? These are the questions I have had since 9-11-01 and I have yet to be able to answer those questions. What happened to us that day was an act of evil that was not merely committed against two of our cities but an act of evil committed against our entire nation. That is the reality. The 19 terrorists wanted to kill Americans and they did. They don’t seperate us between Democrat and Republican. They wanted to kill all of us. They attacked the anchor of our economy and our military. They attacked the symbols of the USA that the world knows, respects and fears for no rational reason and therefore are evil and they prove evil exists. There is no clinician that can make an excuse for it, or explain it away because evil is what it is, a reality we all must face.

We have those who want to make excuses, who look at the images and see perhaps a reality show, scripted and rehearsed. They are unable to deal with the reality of the situation. The questions they ask are childish. Why don’t they like us? For those of us who understand history that question is silly because as we all know Abel’s next door neighbor was Cain, and this immaturity of such a ridiculous question should embarress those who ask those questions. Does it matter why? In reality asking why is a denial of what happened and a reach to understand something that does not deserve to be understood. Because attempting to understand the hatred of Bin Laden and the men who followed him and still follow his lead is an attempt at dialogue with them and they do not deserve that act of deference. Like Adolph Hitler and his SS executioners Osama bin Laden and Al Quada, the Wahhabists themselves do not deserve that respect. They do not deserve that compassion.

The long lense of history of that day ten years ago and the reveberating effects that huge events like 9-11 seem to cause many of us to remember feelings of confusion. Its the same for all of us who ran from Washington DC, or from the Twin Towers.

Visit Facebook to read her entire note.

It seems unreal that it’s already been 10 long years since I was driving to my old job as a bank recruiter in Boca Raton, Florida, cruising down scenic A1A for what I’d expected to be another typical day at the office. We had a group of applicants coming in for the mandatory employment assessment, and with my recruiting assistant off for the morning I’d be handling what would normally have been her responsibility.

During that beautiful drive, for whatever reason, I’d opted to listen to a regular pop-music FM station in lieu of my typical motivational CD, in a break from my usual routine. The morning show featuring two fun-loving guys and a girl was proceeding along in typical irreverent fashion when the news came in that the World Trade Center in New York had been struck by an airplane. Absent more elaborate detail, the radio hosts surmised it must’ve been a private plane – possibly piloted by a novice – since the picture-perfect weather would seem to preclude any other possibility. After all, a seasoned commercial or private pilot would surely know enough to avoid crashing into an office tower if his aircraft was failing. That was the thought I held in mind as I entered through the double-glass doors of my building and greeted the folks who’d already assembled in the lobby.

United 93 crash site in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

But just as I’d set up the applicants in the conference room, the surreal events of the day began to play out in a frenzy of panic and helplessness. First, the administrative assistant who worked upstairs hysterically rushed into my office to announce we were under attack by terrorists, who’d somehow managed to take control of a large, commercial jet and turn it into a weapon of bloody destruction. Without the benefit of a television, I was struggling to wrap my brain around that horrific scenario when a financial center employee bounded through the office doors to inform us that another plane had hit the second tower. Then a little while later, news of the attack on the Pentagon and the spine-tingling story of United 93. And finally, the shocking news that all flights had been grounded, the final confirmation (as if we’d needed any at that point) that life had been forever altered.

Perhaps the most surreal moment occurred when that same financial center employee returned from his trip to the upstairs lunchroom (home to the only television in the building), and breathlessly announced that the World Trade Center was now “a pile of rubble”. I remember feeling incredulous, as if how dare he make such an exaggeration! Wasn’t the news already horrific enough?

Of course, 10 years and several attacks (e.g. London subway bombings, Madrid bombings) and attempted attacks later (e.g. the foiled plots to blow up airliners over the Atlantic from Heathrow Airport, and to destroy the Library Tower in Los Angeles) – combined with a newfound knowledge of Islam, thanks to scholars like Robert Spencer and authors like Brigitte Gabriel – none of the sheer barbarism of 9/11 will ever again evoke that initial, naïve feeling of surprise and denial. Like many other Americans, I’ve come to recognize and expect nothing but guttural savagery and brutality from a totalitarian political ideology that wraps itself up in the cloak of religion. Its adherents are people like the Palestinians who danced gleefully in the streets, quite proud of the death and destruction their fellow death-cultists wrought upon innocent civilians in the name of Allah – all to further their purpose of destroying the “Great Satan” America.

They’re the same militants who oppress women and infidels, committing unspeakable atrocities like genital mutilation, stoning, honor killing, beheadings and pedophilia – and who go on worldwide killing sprees over cartoon Mohammads, brandishing signs that say, “Behead those who insult Islam.”

In stark contrast, the heroes of September 11 – from firefighters and police to everyday citizens and local officials – stand as an eternal testament to the resiliency and nobility of the human spirit in a free society, even under the direst of circumstances, even when put through the most horrific of tribulations. As story after story of heroism unfolded, anger and sadness mixed with an undeniable pride in my fellow countrymen. Under the worst of circumstances, the best of humankind emerged. It is an abject disgrace and a blight on Mayor Bloomberg and New York City that these remarkable American patriots — along with clergy representative of various faiths and Christian denominations — have been excluded from the 10th Anniversary commemoration just to make room for self-serving politicians.

Perhaps the most stunning testament to the sheer magnitude of the day’s terror, and the unfathomable conditions inside the World Trade Center towers comes from those who deliberately jumped. Who among us can even imagine how hellish it must’ve been, when plunging 90-plus stories to a violent end is the preferable option? The haunting images of these souls hanging out of the windows and ultimately free-falling – some alone, others holding hands, will forever remain in my memory.

That day, Americans witnessed a gut-wrenching juxtaposition of the very best and the very worst of human nature. We realized that we share the planet with an alarming number of people who value death in the same way we value life. In the wake of September 11, we experienced a rebirth of patriotism and brotherhood as citizens from coast to coast gave money, donated blood, offered up prayer and swore they’d “Never Forget”. American flags sprouted up everywhere, decorating cars, offices and homes.

Sadly, for reasons best left to another post, this phenomenon was all too fleeting. But on this 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001, I pray for our nation to find the courage to boldly confront the enemies of freedom and to valiantly fight for the way of life bequeathed to us by our Founding Fathers. It’s the least we can do to honor the sacrifices made by our fellow Americans on a day that will forever live on in infamy.

Ever since her ridiculous championing of man-made global warming believing, cap-and-trade and Ground Zero Mosque supporting and Sharia Law-denying New Jersey Governor Chris Christie at CPAC earlier this year, I’d lost a tremendous amount of respect for Ann Coulter. Ditto for Laura Ingraham whose snotty attitude and recent condescending remarks about Tea Partiers who disliked Congressman Allen West’s vote on the debt ceiling have had the same effect.

So it wasn’t a total surprise when the two got together on Fox News for the sole purpose of trashing not only Sarah Palin, but her base of supporters whom they likened to Obama Kool-Aid drinkers.

While I cannot speak to the motivation behind this “bitch-fest” as Mr. L has accurately coined it, I would like to point out the many flaws and inconsistencies in this hypocritical exchange — which was something I’d expect to see on The View, not Fox News. Then again, with a few exceptions (contributor Michelle Malkin, e.g.) Fox has been a huge disappointment of late.

For one thing, as I noted over at Revolutionary Media, Palin’s enthusiastic base of supporters is not comprised of rabid cultists, but rather smart, engaged and patriotic Americans with a deep respect for Palin’s consistent record of commonsense conservatism over her 20 years in public life. We recognize that her record stands up to scrutiny, and that unlike the rest of the field, she’s never had to adjust her positions or policies for political expediency. We appreciate her political courage — first seen on the national stage when she boldly called out Obama repeatedly on the campaign trail and then later when she led the charge against the odious Obamacare legislation and the rest of his freedom-killing agenda in the summer of 2009.

Sarah Palin fearlessly confronts union thugs in Wisconsin in a rousing address to Tea Party activists in April, 2011.

Perhaps it’s too much to expect Coulter and Ingraham to give credit where it’s due, but nowhere in their discussion last night was there any mention of Palin’s influence on the 2010 midterms; the time and money she spent endorsing and stumping for strong candidates like Nikki Haley; the multitude of substantive policy statements she’s made via Facebook notes pertaining to everything from quantitative easing to foreign policy to domestic drilling; her multitude of speeches at various events, including the India Conclave and her unscripted interview with the Long Island Business Association.

Perhaps it slipped their minds that Palin’s record of accomplishment and enactment of “sudden, relentless reform” in Alaska inspired conservative film maker Stephen K. Bannon to invest a significant amount of time and money into producing a film highlighting her illustrious political record so that people who’ve been brainwashed by the media hit-job on her would have the opportunity to get the facts about who Sarah Palin really is.

Bitterly clinging to our principles and our support for Sarah Palin in the pouring rain.

And maybe they are oblivious to the reality that Palin’s appeal to conservative voters is strong enough to compel them to travel halfway around the country just to see her give a speech at a Tea Party rally — even in the driving rain. As I noted, there were about 20 states represented in Iowa and every individual with whom I interacted was smart, savvy, committed and knowledgeable — not simply about Sarah Palin’s achievements, but also about the fact that both parties have driven this beloved country to the brink of disaster.

Which brings me to my real issue with the Ingraham-Coulter exchange: the blatant hypocrisy. Coulter displayed a stunning lack of self-awareness when she dissed Palin’s supporters as nothing more than clueless cheerleaders. Hey Ann, we’re not the ones shilling for a New Jersey blowhard who supports cap-and-trade legislation, believes in man-made global warming, ridicules anyone who takes issue with the Ground Zero Mosque and dismisses real concern about creeping Sharia Law as “crap.” And in spite of all of these negatives against Chris Christie, you continue to promote him as a legitimate candidate. Dare I say, you verge on making yourself look like a lovesick school girl? Christie after all, has stated repeatedly that he is definitely not running.

Sarah Palin signs autographs and greets supporters including author Frank Aquila at the Restoring America Rally in Iowa.

At least Palin tells us she’s seriously considering it and will announce her decision before the deadline, so there’s legitimate reason for her supporters to promote her candidacy — aside from the fact that she’s a fantastic candidate with a record that matches her rhetoric. Tragically, the same cannot be said of the current crop of contenders, with varying degrees of importance.

Yes, Christie takes on the unions. So do Scott Walker in Wisconsin and John Kasich in Ohio — very effectively and without the theatrics. Funny but I don’t hear you ever offer praise for either one of them.

And Laura, in case you missed it, Tea Party voters have a real problem with Romneycare and no amount of deference to alleged “states rights” is going to justify it away. Haven’t we spent the last 2 1/2 years railing against overrreaching government policies and demanding repeal? What makes you think Mandate Mitt is a contender? By the way, he also believes in man-made global warming, to the delight of Al Gore. Yeah, that’ll fire up the base. By the way, in case you missed it nearly 1,000 showed up to see Palin in New Hampshire versus a handful for Romney. Guess they were all just a bunch of stupid hillbillies too. Oh and then there’s the small matter of the FreedomWorks-sponsored protest against the former governor of Massachusetts. I suppose that also slipped your mind while you were busy trashing the former governor of Alaska.

Finally, your cattiness in ridiculing Sarah Palin’s accent was especially off-putting and completely unprofessional. It smacks the kind of immaturity one would expect from teenage high school girls, not prominent lawyers and pundits who claim to care about everyday Americans from coast to coast who — by the way — speak with various accents. And just for the record, neither one of yours is particularly appealing.

So go ahead and ridicule Palin and her supporters all day long. Just don’t be surprised when we stop tuning in and buying your books. If you can’t at least be honest and forthright in your criticism, we’ll invest our time and money elsewhere. Seems my two year-old column on Female Jealousy and Sarah Palin is more relevant today than ever.

I was so excited to come upon a PA car showing support for Palin and the Eagles!

I am finally back after a very long round-trip journey involving several rail lines and a couple of bus routes, but I would not have missed the Restoring America Rally in Iowa for the world! Over at Revolutionary Media and at Sarah Palin Out Of Nowhere, I have posted my commentary and I invite you to check it out. Flickr Photostream here.

My client and author of the book "Sarah Palin Out Of Nowhere" Frank Aquila finally meets the woman he lobbied to get on the 2008 ticket.

Today on CRF Weekdays, I’ll be filling Steve in on the trip so if you would like to tune in, I’d love to hear from you!

Some of you may know that in addition to co-hosting and blogging for The Conservative Diva and co-hosting with Steven Rosenblum on CRF Weekdays and Conservative Republican Forum on BTR, I am also a partner in a new media marketing company called Revolutionary Media. And for the past three months, I have been representing author Frank Aquila, whose new book Sarah Palin Out Of Nowhere I reviewed for this blog.

As circumstances aligned quite nicely during the process of making the country and the world aware of Frank and his wonderful book, both of us received an invitation from Myrna Beeber of Tea Party of America and Organize4Palin, Iowa to attend the Restoring America Rally in Indianola Iowa this weekend. I am absolutely thrilled to be able to be here — an 17-hour train ride, 8-hour layover and 6-hour bus ride later. Yes, it was a bit grueling, but after a hot shower and a wonderful night’s rest, I am raring to go.

Right now I am sitting in the Days Inn lobby, blogging away and meeting and greeting other Palinistas from states like Texas, Virginia, New York and California. What a great feeling it is to know there are so many others who share conservative values and a belief in Sarah Palin as the best candidate to beat Obama in 2012. I pray she’s running and I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves alongside all of these fabulous patriots to get her elected.

Frank arrives this evening, just in time to attend a gathering at the Machine Shed restaurant where numerous Palin bloggers, media personalities and grassroots activists will be socializing in advance of tomorrow’s festivities. Look for updates, photos and videos soon.

“Mr. President, game on!”

Over at Conservatives4Palin Abie Rubin has posted an excellent, lengthy piece that is well worth taking the time to read. I’ll excerpt a few portions here but visit the site to read the full commentary.

Wolf’s argument is quite surprising given that Erick Erickson “proved” in an article written just one day prior to Wolf’s piece that Palin won’t win even if she joins the primary since she polls only 12 percent in Gallup national. Erickson then admitted that her poll figures would probably increase if she announces a presidential run since some of her supporters who believe she won’t run are supporting their second choice.

Wolf, did you perhaps miss that? The Palin supporters who don’t believe she’s running have already chosen another candidate, and if Palin’s decision ends up being negative the rest will follow suit. When the people will head to the election booths, she either will or won’t be in the race allowing everyone to make their decision based on the current facts. Although it’s obvious you don’t want her to run, Palin will choose that which she’ll feel is best for her and the country at the time she deems right, and her supporters have every right to tie their allegiance to Palin since they strongly believe she will run.

The arguments used in the article to support her non-candidacy are 100% nonsense and you must know that. She has the largest boots-on-the-ground force and will be bombarded by donations the day she’ll announce her campaign.  If she isn’t running, why would she encourage O4P’s actions? Why would she have a foreign policy advisor? Why would she visit Iowa’s State Fair and be returning there again Labor Day weekend? What is the ultimate purpose of her One Nation tour and the documentary, The Undefeated?

Rubin continues:

Furthermore, Wolf’s ignores facts in order to reach his conclusion that Palin is a moderate. It is shocking and shameful to say the least.

Palin endorsed 64 conservative candidates in the 2010 elections, many of them long before Red State and others  glanced their way, including Susana Martinez — the current Governor of New Mexico, Allen West – a congressman of Florida, Rand Paul – Senator of Kentucky, and Joe Miller. Wolf, however, pounced upon her endorsement of two candidates in the primaries, Carly Fiorina and Kelly Ayotte, as proof of Palin’s drift towards the establishment. Never mind that her endorsements made absolute sense if one only bothers looking into the facts.

Palin’s endorsement for Fiorina requires a bit of background. The California Republican Senate primary was a three-way race with Fiorina opposed not only by Chuck Devore which Red State endorsed but also by Campbell, a candidate with ties to radical Muslims and a more moderate than Olympia Snowe. Campbell was leading the polls with Fiorina lagging behind and Devore a far third. A Campbell victory would portray the Republican Party as the water-downed version or even the mirror image of the Democrat Party. A debate between Tom Campbell and Boxer would result in who has done more to save the environment and expand government programs.

Palin’s endorsement of Fiorina, who was the conservative candidate with greater chances of beating Campbell, gave Fiorina the necessary push to win the primary thus resulting in a conservative representing the Republican Party in the debate and campaign against Boxer. Although Boxer was reelected, voters in California have been exposed to conservative talk and to a clear differentiation between the ideologies of the two parties.

Regarding Palin’s endorsement of Kelly Ayotte, the primary consisted of two conservatives. While Red State and some others pumped Lamontagne as the stronger conservative Palin and others supported Ayotte as the true conservative. Each had their minor flaws as every human being does with different people ultimately preferring different choices. If your favorite ice cream flavor is vanilla, is the next guy who prefers chocolate wrong with his choice? Are people no longer allowed to disagree peacefully? How does Palin’s endorsement of Ayotte brand her as a moderate? Is Ayotte’s current record in the senate not enough proof of her conservatism? She co-sponsored a bill to repeal Obamacare and voted against the debt ceiling deal. What liberal bill did Ayotte vote for? (And if she did vote “moderately” in one instance she would probably apologize just as Perry – Red State’s favorite — has apologized regarding Gardasil, thus negating her vote.)

Sorry, but having candidates’ opponents endorsed by Red State, make neither the candidates nor their endorsers un-conservative.

The author then takes Red State Editor Erik Erickson to task and calls him out on his hypocrisy:

Erickson’s underhanded manner of supposedly supporting Palin while running after everyone else is just the tip of the iceberg. When honest conservatives question Perry’s executive order regarding Gardasil, it’s hypocritical of Red State to claim that an apology wipes away a candidate’s past record. Attention all candidates seeking reelection or a different office and in want of Red States’ endorsement: All you’ve got to do is apologize for any negative item on your record, say that you erred and regret it.

It wasn’t enough to only have Erickson respond to the Gardasil gate, as is usually the case with others. Everyone jumped into the “protect Perry” mode, as each took a different angle in whitewashing Perry’s attempt to ram down this shot via executive order against the protests of the legislature.  Ben Howe posted a piece titled “Vetting Rick Perry” which more likely should have been called defending, excusing, or exonerating Rick Perry. Repair_Man-Jack played undecided in his support of Perry’s candidacy.  Streiff and again Streiff showed his true colors, calling for Perry or else.

Streiff even went so far as to issue a “fair warning” announcing his intention “to treat those making those allegations in a way indistinguishable from the way birthers and truthers are treated.” (banned from the site.) Erickson re-posted his article of 2007 where he slammed Perry for the executive order, and explained that although he disagreed with the executive order, it still had the opt-out factor. Combined with the apology, and the fact that it never happened, the issue should be laid to rest.

Head over to C4P…it really is an enlightening read.

On Wednesday, August 17 Ellen and I had the opportunity to chat with the wonderful Frank Aquila whose book Sarah Palin Out Of Nowhere is a must-read! If you missed our interview check it out on the Revolutionary Media Network on Blog Talk Radio.

Did you miss our return to the airwaves on August 11? Click here to listen to the archive!

Those are the words of the ever-vigilant Michelle Malkin, a conservative thinker, author, journalist and blogger for whom I have the greatest respect. I first became acquainted with Michelle somewhere in the aftermath of 9/11 when I saw her interviewed on television; her blog was the very first one I began reading daily since its creation. She has remained over the years a trusted source of information, someone who always backed up her opinions with legitimate sources and stood strong in defense of conservatism.

Far from being a “Republican shill” an accusation frequently hurled at her by Ron Paul zealots, Malkin fearlessly calls out the Republican establishment consistently, whether for its open borders/amnesty push or so-called “compassionate conservatism” (e.g. big government spending under the GOP label). She was one of the most vocal critics of the Bush Administration, particularly with respect to its incessant amnesty push. Because of Michelle, I was one of many grassroots activists who participated in the push-back against this noxious legislation, promoted by so many so-called conservative Republicans in D.C.

Remaining true to her character, with Governor Rick Perry’s entry into the presidential race, Malkin has done her due diligence and reported honestly on Perry’s record. As always, she backed up every assertion with well-sourced facts. And for that she’s come under assault from Perry supporters who seemed to have abandoned all due diligence in their rush to declare him the next President of the United States.

In fact, even though it’s still August, many of Perry’s fans appear to want all grassroots conservatives to immediately fall in line, overlook some very troubling issues in his record and declare him the only one who can beat Obama. I suppose just like lefty lemmings, they want us to accept the inevitable fate of Perry as the Republican candidate to whom we should offer nothing but gratitude and blind allegiance since he’s the “electable” candidate. There’s that word again — “electable”.

Well excuse me, but I for one will not fall in line. As Malkin rightfully states, this is a primary, not a coronation and I would like to see Rick Perry defend his record in the debates and answer some serious questions about the things he’s said and done. Unfortunately, the desire of many of us to hold Perry accountable is in the eyes of his supporters, tantamount to “attacking” him.

I beg to differ.

One of the multitude of qualities that distinguishes the right from the left is our ability to think as individuals — individuals who ask pointed questions of those who seek to represent us, not simply fall in line behind a charismatic candidate who happens to have an “R” after their name.

Today, I discovered yet another red flag from Jihad Watch:

Nonetheless, these questions must be asked. I criticized Bush for his ties to the Saudis, and Obama for his fatuous fawning over the Islamic world. I don’t see why Rick Perry should be sacrosanct. The next President of the United States will inherit a responsibility made even more awesome than it usually is by the catastrophic policies of his predecessor, which he will have to move quickly to reverse or else see the nation continue on the path of a prolonged and severe decline from which it may never recover. That is all the more reason not to leap onto the bandwagon of just anyone who looks this week as if he has a chance to defeat Barack Obama, and to rush to demonize those who dare to ask if the emperor’s clothes are really of that good a quality. Now is the time, of all times, to ask of Perry and of every other candidate probing, searching questions, and to investigate their ideas and associations with a critical eye – an operation which, if it had been performed on Barack Obama in 2008, we might not be in this fix.

And so we see first of all that Perry and Grover Norquist held a joint press conference in March 2011. Perry appeared at a fund-raiser for Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform group. Also, Norquist actively campaigned for Perry back in 2009. Their association is longstanding: Perry was investigated by the Texas Ethics Commission in 2004 for allegations that the Governor illegally used campaign money to finance a trip to Bahamas; the point here is not the allegations, but the fact that along on the Bahamas trip at his own expense was Grover Norquist. Perry and Norquist are clearly not just casual acquaintances.

As David Horowitz pointed out several years ago, Norquist has worked with “prominent Islamic radicals who have ties to the Saudis and to Libya and to Palestine Islamic Jihad, and who are now under indictment by U.S. authorities.” Among them was Abdurahman Alamoudi, who was once the most prominent and powerful “moderate Muslim” in Washington, and is now in prison for helping to finance an al-Qaeda plot to assassinate the Saudi king, whom jihadis consider to be inexcusably lax in his Islamic observance (primarily in allowing infidel American troops onto the sacred soil of Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf War). Alamoudi gave Norquist’s Islamic Institute, a gambit to try to garner Muslim votes for the Republican party, a $10,000 loan and a $10,000 gift.

Norquist is unrepentant; he continues to partner with Islamic supremacists. Is this the sort of man our next president should be associating with? Does Perry really need Norquist to carry over his tax-cutting message? Does he know about Norquist’s unsavory ties? Does he care? Do Republican candidates need Norquist so much that they have to put up with his taint?

Given the long list of strikes against him, I think it’s only fair to let the process play out and hold Perry accountable for his record. We’ve yet to see him in a debate, nor do we know if the entire field is even set at this point. So don’t expect me to submissively fall in line behind a Rick Perry candidacy before he’s even been made to defend his actions and address his many decidedly non-conservative positions.

And no, Josh Trevino because Malkin did her own homework without consulting you does not give you the right to smear her as “fringe”, nor does it negate her arguments against Rick Perry.

My message to the Perry cheerleaders: If your guy is the right one for the job, you have nothing to gain by alienating conservatives who have legitimate grievances with him. He will have plenty of opportunities to defend himself and just like everybody else in the race, he needs to earn his votes.

Kool-Aid is for lefties.