Last winter Mrs. Marathon Pundit visited Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. On our way back from the latter--we spent a final night in Vegas--we stopped in Seligman, Arizona for a fill up.
Jeb Bush also spoke at the Republican National Convention last night--the only member of the Bush family to do so.
He had some harsh words for Barack Obama.
"Mr. President, it is time to stop blaming your predecessor for your failed economic policies," the former Florida governor said. "You were dealt a tough hand, but your policies have not worked."
Bush added that as Obama nears the end of his first (and hopefully only) term in office, "A real leader would accept responsibility for his actions, and you have not done it."
For the second time in less than a week, someone was shot near President Obama's Chicago mansion. Unlike the earlier shooting, the early Friday morning crime was not fatal--although the victim, a teenage boy who is in stable condition, was shot twice. But this bloodshed occurred even closer to the House That Rezko Helped Buy--only a block away.
The Chicago murder rate is up thirty percent since last year. Obama's former chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, was sworn in as mayor in the spring of 2011.
UPDATE 2:00pm:The Chicago Sun-Timesis reporting that last night at least nine others were shot; 82 Chicagans have been wounded or killed in the last week.
The Chicago Teachers Union, which has been failing students for at least a generation, voted to authorize a strike earlier this week. The Occupy-loving CTU has asked for a thirty percent raise for its already well-paid members, on average they make $71,000 per year before benefits. Over half of the high school students at Chicago's government schools don't graduate.
The schools are facing a $700 million deficit. The unemployment rate in the Chicago area is 9.2 percent.
What planet are these union thugs on?
Chicago needs school choice, more assistance for home schoolers, and an end to teacher tenure.
Here it is, Mitt Romney's acceptance speech in its entirety:
Romney covered a lot of ground last night. He even looked back at President Obama's election.
"Many of you felt that way on Election Day four years ago," Romney said. "Hope and Change had a powerful appeal. But tonight I'd ask a simple question: If you felt that excitement when you voted for Barack Obama, shouldn’t you feel that way now that he's President Obama? You know there’s something wrong with the kind of job he's done as president when the best feeling you had, was the day you voted for him."
Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida was put in a difficult place on the final night of the Republican National Convention but he managed to hit a home run anyway. He followed Clint Eastwood--and he introduced the star of the evening, Mitt Romney.
Rubio spoke of his family's struggles but their undying belief in the American Dream.
Clint Eastwood atoned for his disastrous Chrysler Super Bowl ad this evening by arguing with Obama--an empty chair--at the Republican National Convention. Yes, Clint said "Make my day," a phrase that President Ronald Reagan lovingly once borrowed.