Fresh from his presidential-style world tour, during which foreign leaders and American generals lined up to show him affection, Obama settled down to some presidential-style business in Washington yesterday. He ordered up a teleconference with the (current president’s) Treasury secretary, granted an audience to the Pakistani prime minister and had his staff arrange for the chairman of the Federal Reserve to give him a briefing. Then, he went up to Capitol Hill to be adored by House Democrats in a presidential-style pep rally.

While you’re in the mood, be sure to take a look at AFP’s great new video exposing the hypocrisy of global warming alarmists.

And, finally, in the “well, at least that’s something” category, John McCain attempted to prove he’s a solid conservative (oh, and an independent, too!) today.

“As many of you know, I’ve been called a maverick, someone who marches to the beat of his own drum,” McCain said proudly before being peppered with questions on offshore oil drilling, taxes and stem cell research from a largely Republican audience that nonetheless displayed a range of ideological views.

The Arizona senator insisted anew he would not raise taxes if elected president and vowed to appoint judges like Samuel Alito and John Roberts, conservatives named to the Supreme Court by President Bush.

“Each year it seems to get worse and worse,” said Christina Gin, an animal shelter volunteer in Hayward, Calif., to the Hayward Daily Review earlier this month.

She was talking about the shelter’s surplus of kittens, a problem that animal shelters across the country face every summer. But lately, it seems that there have been more and more of the furry carnivores.

Ms. Gin blames global warming for the feline glut, and she’s not alone. The Humane Society has observed that kitten season, which usually starts in March and April, has been starting earlier and lasting longer.

Now, let’s get something straight.  Do they want MORE cute things or FEWER cute things?  I mean, first we’re bemoaning the supposed decrease in the (cute) polar bear population.  Now, we’re upset in the increase in the cat population?  (Now, personally I understand this because I hate cats, but still.  They’re awful cute when they’re kittens.)

Next, we’ll apparently be talking about the Canadian red squirrel:

No definitive link has been established, but climate change has been shown to change the breeding patterns of at least some mammals. In 2003, for example, researchers at the University of Alberta discovered that Canadian red squirrels are giving birth an average of 18 days earlier than their great-grandparents, a shift that they attributed to rising temperatures.

But, let’s go get serious for a minute.  If we really care about domestic animals, as the Humane Society certainly does, let’s address the real issues.  First and foremost, I’d spend more time and resources pushing folks to get their cats spayed and neutered.  That’s a surefire way to prevent feline procreation.

We also need to consider the very real impact rising fuel and energy prices have on the average family’s budget.  Will there be room with $5, $6, or even $8 per gallon gas to keep Fido and Whiskers in the family.  Make no mistake, American families love their pets, but when it’s a choice between gasoline and food and pet care, I think we know the answer.  Animal shelter populations increase, and family pets suffer.   Not to mention the fact that contributions to animal shelters decrease during economic downturns, further imperiling the lives of animals.

The real message here: protect our economy.  It’s good for everyone, including pets!  If we choose higher taxes, increased regulation, and restricted freedom, we’ll not only NOT “fix” the problem we intend to solve (presumably, global warming) but we’ll also hurt our country in the long term by killing an already slowing economy.  I don’t think anyone wants that.

Then again…maybe they do.

3:50 p.m. UPDATE: You have absolutely got to see this website.  Also, US News & World Reports is on the case as well.

From school choice to the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights to higher education vouchers to creating a tax code that ensured prosperity for its citizens, Colorado was once the beacon of conservatives (remember the National Review cover story about Bill Owens?)  And now, it’s not looking so good…

Fortunately, we have some smart folks on our side as well.  Eric O’Keefe has a superb piece published by the State Policy Network that’s worth a read about what we can do to fight back.  Our free enterprise side got a head start on the think tank front.  There’s no question we’re winning the battle of ideas.  But, we’re consistently getting beaten on the ground game.

Frankly, that’s why Americans for Prosperity is so important.  But, we need to keep up the fight and work to match the Left on every capability possible if we want to win - politically and, ultimately, with our public policy goals.  There is much work to do, friends.

UPDATE: Eric is (as usual) several steps ahead in talking about Fred Barnes’ article.  Read his take.

Call me old fashioned.  Call me un-techy.  But, please, do it with correct capitalization and punctuation.

aamof, afaic, iucmd, just shut^.

This is a pet peeve of mine that’s been festering for a while.  I just couldn’t keep it in any longer.  Why does being connected to the “interwebs” give people the false sense that they can throw grammar and punctuation out the window?  I suppose I should sgbadq. 

Frankly, I find this “webspeak” phenomenon counterintuitive.  Typing is far easier and faster than writing in long hand, so why the need to shorten everything?  Are we really all in that big of a hurry?  Or frightened of blackberry thumb.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to consult specialized websites when getting text messages from friends or reading emails or blogs.  If it’s so long that it’s a pain to type, why not just call me?  It uses the same equipment.  As far as I know, I don’t require particularly arduous conversation.  Perhaps I’m mistaken, but even so, at least give me some clue as to what you are referring.

To all bloggers - I ask a commitment to honor the English language (or whatever your native tongue happens to be).  Spell out words (I’m sure someone will ask “r u crazy?”), complete sentences and, if you’re in need of help, seek a reference or get notes from a high school freshman in grammar class.  Take a moment to gather your thoughts before you sit down to write.  Above all, avoid gratuitous abbreviations or acronyms just for the sake of being hip.

Finally, for those of you with a Blackberry or other device with a full keyboard - USE IT!  Go take a Mavis Beacon or something if you have to, but complete words and phrases.  I pledge to follow this, and I hope u do 2.

Thx for listening (well, reading, I guess).  As for my advice, tioli.  g/g, biw.  ttyl

(Do you have a favorite/hated netspeak term?  If so, share in the comments!  Everyone needs a laugh!)

While you’re at it, check out this update with pictures of the Gore motorcade.

Let’s be clear, by the way, it doesn’t bother me that the Gore folks ride in style.  He’s made a lot of money and he’s earned the right to live in luxury.  But, let’s not lecture others about the need to change their lifestyles in between trips to the Exxon station to fill up the SUVs.

Which reminds me to remind you to check out Americans for Prosperity’s Hot Air Tour website, CostofHotAir.com and follow the Hot Air Balloon around the country.  They’re telling the truth about the REAL cost of global warming alarmism. 

Duh.

If you want a good read, you can check out Justice (Saint?) Scalia’s opinion here.  Make sure you read the footnotes - they’re a scream.

In the meantime, you can see pictures of the AFP Hot Air Tour hot air balloon and our former Vice President’s home.  Also, be sure to check out CostofHotAir.com in the next few days for pictures of the entire tour last week from Spartanburg, SC to Cincinnati, OH as well as the schedule for the next leg, which launches after the Independence Day holiday.  It might be coming to YOUR town!

A couple of days ago, a Gore spokeswoman ominously warned that they’d be working to block our event:

“We’re making inquiries” to see whether the balloon launch violates any local ordinances, (Gore spokeswoman Kalee) Kreider said.

More here.  Follow this ongoing story on the AFP blog throughout the day.