Comment E-mail Print Bio Archives

The media appear to delight in exploiting the plight of the Republican Party, particularly the flap between Dick Cheney and Colin Powell. Cheney's comment that he thought Powell had left the Republican Party because he endorsed Obama, provided a perfect opportunity for Powell to take the TV podium to tell Republicans they must become more moderate to reverse the flight from their ranks.

What America needs cannot be found in either major party at the moment, nor in any of the dozens of other parties hoping to become a "third party." The litmus test for leadership is quite simple. Voters should find candidates -- regardless of party -- who pass this leadership test.

Defend the Constitution

Every candidate for national elective office swears an oath to "...preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States." For many of these elected officials, this is the last time they utter the word, or even think about the U.S. Constitution.

In order to "...preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution..." every law produced by Congress must be grounded in, and authorized by the Constitution. Few are. Where in the Constitution, for example, is there authority for the federal government to declare that all the water in the United States is the "Waters of the United States?" Where, exactly, does the Constitution authorize the federal government to strip private property owners of the right to use their property because a particular kind of bug or plant happens to be on the property? Constitution-loving congressmen have been trying to get a law enacted that requires every proposed law to cite Constitutional authority for the law. Every congress since 1994 has rejected this legislation.

Before voting for another congressional candidate, every voter should require his candidate to pledge to co-sponsor and vote for The Enumerated Powers Act (HR450).

Reject Global Governance

It is impossible to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States," and vote to surrender sovereignty over territorial seas to the United Nations. Both Senators John Kerry, and Richard Lugar, chairman and ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, advocate doing just that. Both are on record supporting the Convention on the Law of the Sea, which clearly requires that: "...sovereignty over the territorial seas is exercised subject to this Convention and to other rules of international law (Article 2(3)).

This treaty also requires submission to the International Seabed Authority, which has global authority for exploiting the seabed -- and regulating waters that flow into the sea as well as the adjacent lands that may affect the waters that eventually get into the seas. This treaty is global governance.

Several other treaties pending ratification also surrender sovereignty to the United Nations. The Obama administration, aided by a Democratic majority and far too many willing Republicans, intends to ratify all of them.

>> Continued -- Page 1 2