I don’t know about you, but I think endorsements are important. They allow us to see where some famous actor stands or what company gets the most business from a candidate. It also allows us to see how conservative or liberal politicians are. For instance, I’m a big fan of my Republican Governor, Rick Perry. The man is a hero to me, but when he endorsed Rudy Giuliani for president I was surprised. Mr. Giuliani was clearly the most liberal republican choice and Gov. Perry is quite the conservative. However I learned something from his choice. There is no doubt that Mr. Giuliani is a go-getter and tough on crime and that is exactly the kind of attitude that Gov. Perry wanted for President. However I feel that endorsements should be reserved for the ones you agree with on what is most important to you and not just party politics. That’s why at the start of this I endorsed Fred Thompson for president. Mr. Thompson and I agreed on so many issues that I learned a lot form his policies and from his political career, not just in his campaign for president but from his years of service in the Senate. So I present to you my endorsements for the 2008 Election Year.

On the Federal Level, I continue to have reservations about Senator John McCain as President. The one reservation that sticks out most is on the issue, as I said before, what is most important, and it is important to me that our border with both Mexico and Canada are secure and that we remove those who are here illegally without amnesty. John McCain wants amnesty for those who are here illegally. Oh sure, he dose not call it that, but in his mind the job would be a whole lot easier if we just granted them legal status instead of having the INS do its job by finding any potential terrorist already here on our soil. Mr. McCain also has not been clear about making tax cuts permanent, banning abortion or protecting the sanctity of marriage. That is why I can not in good conscience endorse John McCain but I am 100% against Barack Obama becoming president. However I do endorse Governor Sarah Palin for Vice President. Gov. Palin is more conservative than Senator McCain. She is strong and a go-getter. She will shake up Washington and I expect she will keep McCain on his toes. Most importantly, as a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association she will protect our right to bear Arms.

Colin Powel says Barack Obama “speaks with great insight into the challenges we're facing of a military and political and economic nature.” HELLO, he wants to pull our troops out of Iraq as soon as he takes office and by doing so undermines exactly what they are doing and ensures that every soldier who gave their life for the freedom of the Iraqi People and the safety of our country will have died in vain. I would expect someone like Colin Powel, who served in a war where our troops were brought home before the job was done, like Vietnam to understand that.

Colin Powel says, “I think that [Obama] has a definite way of doing business that will serve us well,”. Is it going to “serve us well” when he raises the taxes of the rich forcing companies to charge more and that in turn forcing his precious middle class to pay more for gas, food, and clothing??? Is it going to “serve us well” when a universal health care plan goes into effect forcing everyone to have their medical treatment limited and controlled by the government instead of themselves???

This is not about race. This is not about a change in Washington. This is about doing the right thing for the good of the country. Neither candidate wants to do that. So we are stuck with who is going to come close to doing that. Raising taxes, forcing universal health care down our throats, making us look weak to both our allies and our enemies by withdraw from Iraq, and denying our right to bear Arms IS NOT in the best interest of this country. Now Colin Powel has a history of service to our country. Served in Vietnam, commanded a battalion of 101st, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a national security adviser, and secretary of state, and to top it all off he is a Republican. Now here we are with him endorsing the most liberal member of the US Senate. Just last week Powell gave the McCain Campaign the $2300.00 maximum contribution allowed by law and now he’s giving Obama the one thing that matters most, his vote. I had great respect for Powel, but today I have lost my respect. I’m hurt, and I’m sure there is at least one man or woman serving in the Army, Air Force, Navy, Maries, and Coast Guard who feels the same way.