My heartiest congratulations to Senator Obama and to Senator Clinton for her campaign, and for quickly meeting with him this evening to discuss unifying the party.

I believe that the torch has been passed to the next generation of American citizens, with their high hopes and wonderful ideas for the future of this country, a future that includes all races and genders, and the potential of a better future for all of us.

Is that his nick name for McCain supporters? Hey how about McCain sell a few of those houses and give it to the financial companies???? How about the rich do something for a change???? How about that????

This makes me sick, all of it! We need to be addressed by these candidates and not set aside until oil companies and rich folks figure out what happened!!!! We are looking at who is going to be our next President and all Bush cares about are his pockets being lined? Poor thing; did he invest in the wrong stock???

I must be really whacked, but I feel this candidacy is waaaaay more important than IGA, IGM, Wash Mut, Bank of America, Lehman, Looman, Dooman, or dooofus, whatever!!!!! These lenders loaned the money to people who they knew couldn't pay it back and now it has come back to bite them and now its the rest of us having to bail them out. No sympathy here! I stayed within my budget; so sorry others did not!!!!!!!! These candidates are going to run this country. I think Obama is right; let's get it on with the debates.... JMO...

Doesn't mean she has to actually DO anything to earn the bucks. She got a great big raise (nearly triple - and still claimed they had trouble paying off their college loans) when he was elected to the senate. I imagine her primary duty at the hospital was simply to be Mrs. Senator Obama, so naturally no one could possibly replace her.

Whenever I see a photo of MO with that huge toothy grin I am reminded of a Kate Hepburn line as Eleanor in Lion in Winter. She describes one of her husband's former mistresses as having prominent teeth, ''She smiled to excess, but chewed with real distinction.''

We're talking even more liberal than Ted Kennedy! Hillary talks about the "good" of the people. That's a Socialist quote, but no surprise there.

McCain is a "Maverick" for going to the other side. That's literally changing parties. And how about that famous temper? When have the Dems gone to the "other side?" The only exception is (surprisingly) Diane Feinstien, who is appalled by the Compeon & Ramos border patrol agents, who have been put in shackles & solitary. Compeon was beaten badly as well, and was never treated.

"W" has been a disappointment as well, but he's not a conservative, either. At least he's pro-life & pro-military, so I;ll give him that. Check out www.eyesontheborder.com

I've never missed an election, but I'm simply in a huge quandry, as NONE of these candidates are worthy of running our wonderful country. The only option is to vote for conservative Reps.

Also, nowhere in the Constition states voting on various dates. All voters should be able to vote on the same date. My state didn't get the option of choosing my "preferred candidate!"

Iraq without all his body guards and see if he is so smug and smiley when another citizen of democracy goes for his shoes. Bush says that is what democracy is all about --- yet he always has US protestors cordoned off far away from where he speaks in this democracy. The biggest sissy-boy the country has ever been run into the ground by.

Martha Stewart comes to mind.

Shares Fell Two Weeks Later

By Jonathan M. Katz

Associated Press
Wednesday, September 21, 2005; Page A03

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a potential presidential candidate in 2008, sold all his stock in his family's hospital corporation about two weeks before it issued a disappointing earnings report and the price fell nearly 15 percent.

Frist held an undisclosed amount of stock in Hospital Corporation of America, based in Nashville, the nation's largest for-profit hospital chain. On June 13, he instructed the trustee managing the assets to sell his HCA shares and those of his wife and children, said Amy Call, a spokeswoman for Frist.

Frist's shares were sold by July 1 and those of his wife and children by July 8, Call said. The trustee decided when to sell the shares, and the Tennessee Republican had no control over the exact time they were sold, she said.

HCA shares peaked at midyear, climbing to $58.22 a share on June 22. After slipping slightly for two weeks, the price fell to $49.90 on July 13 after the company announced its quarterly earnings would not meet analysts' expectations. On Tuesday, the shares closed at $48.76.

The value of Frist's stock at the time of the sale was not disclosed. Earlier this year, he reported holding blind trusts valued at $7 million to $35 million.

Blind trusts are used to avoid conflicts of interest. Assets are turned over to a trustee who manages them without divulging any purchases or sales and reports only the total value and income earned to the owner.

To keep the trust blind, Frist was not allowed to know how much HCA stock he owned, Call said, but he was allowed to ask for all of it to be sold.

Frist, a surgeon first elected to the Senate in 1994, had been criticized for maintaining the holdings while dealing with legislation affecting the medical industry and managed care. Call said the Senate Select Committee on Ethics has found nothing wrong with Frist's holdings in the company in a blind trust.

To avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest, Senator Frist went beyond what ethics requires and sold the stock, Call said. Asked why he had not done so before, she said, I don't know that he's been worried about it in the past.

An HCA spokesman said the company had no part in Frist's decision.

Frist's father, Thomas, founded the company, and his brother, Thomas Jr., is a director and leading stockholder. The family is worth $1.1 billion, according to Forbes magazine.

HCA -- formerly known as Columbia HCA Healthcare Corp. -- has been a top contributor to the senator's campaigns, donating $83,450 since 1989, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

The sale of the shares was first reported by Congressional Quarterly.

Sen. McCain has said he will oppose the Marriage Protection Amendment (MAP), which defines marriage as being only between one man and one woman, when it comes up for a vote on June 6th.

Sen. McCain says it should be left up to each individual state to define marriage. Can you imagine the mess if that happened! Fifty different laws defining marriage! That is totally unworkable. Our forefathers knew the mess that would create, and that is the reason marriage fell under the Full Faith and Credit Clause in the U.S. Constitution.

One liberal activist Federal judge could strike down the marriage laws in all 50 states because they would be so confusing and conflicting.

In reality, a vote for the MAP is a vote for traditional marriage. A vote against the MPA (which Sen. McCain currently plans to do) is, in reality, a vote for homosexual marriage.

Remember that no matter how Sen. McCain explains his opposition to the MPA, the bottom line is that a vote against it is a vote for homosexual marriage.

Senator McCain needs to hear from you today! Call him using one of the district office numbers below. If the line is busy keep calling until you get through.

Send Senator Howard Carroll your suggestions. sm

Martha Stewart comes to mind.

Shares Fell Two Weeks Later

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