I have known Harry Schultz since the 1970’s. He has been a good friend and a wise counselor.

In Sir Harry’s October 30, 2005 edition of his superb newsletter, Harry Schultz’s Life Strategies (one-year subscription US$377, check should be made payable to HSL, via fax, phone, or e-mail to Harry’s Fulfillment Office in Costa Rica, 866-725-3724 by phone, or 506-272-6261 by fax), he provides evidence suggesting that fired Fed Chief Alan Greenspan, hailed as a foe of inflation, has in fact presided over one of the most inflationary periods in American history.

Quoting Harry, "Sept’s CPI (Consumer Price Index) rose 1.2% & rose 4.7% for prior 12mos. Sept was biggest monthly rise in 25yrs & the biggest 12-mo rise in 14yrs. That 1.2% is 14.4% annualized! … These budget-buster data were followed up a few days later with the PBI (Producer Price Index), another inflation indicator. It rose 1.9%, which is 22.8% annualized. It was also the highest jump in 25yrs. The core rate (useless as it excludes food/fuel) was also up notably. Washington removed food from the CPI in the 1970’s, as inflation numbers made the interest rate look bad. A few months later DC bureaucrats deleted fuel, as CPI rose despite food removal. …

"[Here’s a shortened quote of Washington-Post 10/14 report] … ‘The benefits adjustment, or COLA, provided to govt retirees is one of the foundations of the Washington-area economy. Over 327,000 civil service retirees & spouses of deceased retirees live in the District, Maryland & Virginia, & over 174,400 military retirees live there. Nationwide, there are about 2.4 million civil service retirees & about a 1.9 million military retirees. Payments will rise 4.1% for retirees covered by Civil Service Retirement System & those who receive military annuities. Those retired under the newer Federal Employees Retirement System & are 62 or older will receive 3.1% increase under the rules for that program. Benefits will go up by 4.1% also for recipients of Supplemental Security income, paid to low-income people.’ "

In 2001, as President of The Conservative Caucus Research, Analysis, and Education Foundation, I led a geo-strategic tour which took our 25-person group to Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing, and Taipei.

While in Beijing, we met with officials of the World Bank and were shocked to have documented for us how billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars were being used to, in effect, reinforce the infrastructure and control of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the People’s Republic of China.

According to The Financial Times of October 18, page 9: "China will remain an important client of the World Bank, Paul Wolfowitz, the bank’s president, said yesterday, despite questions over whether a country with swelling financial resources still needs development assistance as it lifts tens of millions of people out of poverty. …

Joe Glover, head of Virginia’s Family Policy Network, had the following observations concerning the decisive defeat of the "Kilgore for Governor" candidacy:

"You can't make friends of your enemies by making enemies of your friends."

"The pundits are spinning the demise of Jerry Kilgore as a defeat for conservatism and a victory for the "moderate" middle of the road. Such conclusions are based on the idea that successful campaigns appeal to so-called "swing voters" who support "reasonable" candidates from either party on a given day.

The poll numbers from Tuesday's election tell us something entirely different, since two unapologetically pro-life, anti-tax conservative candidates fared much better than the moderated version of Jerry Kilgore. What's interesting is that most voters didn't know about Kilgore's leftward drift, but that didn't keep it from shooting him in the foot. It all started very soon after he won his first statewide race, when he began to compromise in a futile attempt to win the second.

Four years ago, Jerry Kilgore ran for Attorney General as a conservative prosecutor from Southwest Virginia, making no bones about his traditional values. Much was made of his conservative roots and hometown values, and he carried the state with sixty percent of the vote.

Unfortunately, that was then. This is now. And a whole lot has changed in just four years.

Very soon after Jerry Kilgore was sworn in as Attorney General in January of 2002, he began thinking and acting as if his next campaign was already in full swing. Members of the Attorney General's office grumbled privately to GOP operatives that Kilgore almost immediately began making decisions in light of his chances of becoming Governor. Conservatives who heard these complaints were concerned, but hoped Kilgore's conservative roots would prevent any collapse in his values.

Unfortunately, Jerry Kilgore's ambitions got the best of him in his first year in office, and he adopted a new way of reaching his goal that often sold his friends down the river. Early in the second year of Kilgore's tenure as Attorney General, the small-town conservative from Southwest Virginia began spreading his political wings in new directions. He began to, as they say in political science classes, "reach out" to new demographic constituencies.

Here are just a few examples of Jerry Kilgore's deeds done in the name of demographical "outreach:"

* In March of 2003, six activists from the pro-homosexual "Log Cabin" club publicly engaged Jerry Kilgore on social issues at a political fundraiser in Northern Virginia. Kilgore was very complimentary of their organization, making a number of overtures that raised conservative eyebrows. For example, Kilgore promised them "his office does not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sexual orientation." When asked whether or not he welcomed [people who engage in homosexuality] as part of the Republican Party, Kilgore said he did, and he "acknowledged the contribution the [Log Cabin homosexual club] has made to the Republican Party over the past few years, particularly in northern Virginia."  (See: VA Family Policy Network)

* In May of 2003, Jerry Kilgore shocked pro-lifers when he officially rejected the long-held belief that life begins at conception in an effort to ensure state colleges and universities could freely distribute the morning-after abortion pill to college students.  (See: VA Family Policy Network)

* In 2003, Kilgore betrayed fiscal conservatives in Republican primary races by joining the campaign committees of liberal politicians like Sen. John Chichester (R-Fredericksburg), who proposed a greater tax increase than Democrat Governor Mark Warner within a month of the senator's reelection.

* In October of 2003, Kilgore won the praise of homosexual activists and the scorn of pro-family groups when he participated in a pro-homosexual public relations scheme by promising not to discriminate on the basis of a person's so-called "sexual orientation." The Family Foundation's Victoria Cobb responded to Kilgore's participation by saying, "Voters who have supported the Attorney General have cause to be deeply concerned and will be anticipating more clarity in the future."
(See:www.washblade.com/2003/10-24/news/localnews/vacon.cfm)
(See also:VA Family Policy Network)

* In the spring of 2005, Jerry Kilgore frustrated fiscal conservatives again when he endorsed a slate of rebellious Republican Delegates who backed the largest tax increase in Virginia history, against conservative Republicans in several districts throughout the Commonwealth.

* After the 2005 primary, Kilgore violated Ronald Reagan's 11th Commandment by publicly criticizing conservative GOP House member Brad Marrs for exposing the major homosexual support of his Democrat opponent. Marrs subsequently lost his reelection bid by less than 50 votes to a pro-choice, pro-tax increase Republican running as an Independent.
(See:Richmond Times Dispatch Article and VIPNet)

* Although he promised to promote "a culture of life" as a candidate for Governor, Jerry Kilgore never excited Virginia's pro-life voting block by spelling out a concrete plan of action. During a candidate debate in September, Kilgore refused to tell moderator Tim Russert of NBC's "Meet the Press" that he would sign a bill to ban abortions in Virginia. News of his response sent shock waves throughout the pro-life movement in the Commonwealth. Here is a description of the exchange between Russert and Kilgore from MSNBC.com's web site:

In that debate, Kilgore dodged what he said was a "hypothetical" question about whether he would sign a law banning abortion in Virginia. Debate moderator Tim Russert of NBC's "Meet the Press" then asked Kilgore if he would veto a tax increase. Kilgore said yes. "That's a hypothetical question," Russert interjected, prompting laughter from an audience that seemed largely sympathetic to Kaine. "Word of mouth among political insiders was really negative regarding Kilgore's performance overall and his response to that one question in particular," said [Catholic University political science professor Mark] Rozell.
(See: MSNBC Article)
* In October, the Washington Post reported that Kilgore was hedging his bets on opposing new tax increases. To the dismay of fiscal conservatives in the GOP, Kilgore said he would allow Northern Virginia "and other regions" the power to raise taxes for roads. Later in the month, the conservative Virginia Club for Growth criticized Kilgore for refusing to sign a Taxpayer Bill of Rights, and demanded that he "speak out unequivocally against new taxes." Club president Phil Rodokanakis said, "Jerry Kilgore continues to run an elusive campaign and refuses to let the voters know where he really stands on these issues."
(See: Washington Post Article and Virginia Club for Growth)

There's no doubt that most conservatives voted for a straight GOP ticket in Tuesday's election. Most believed Jerry Kilgore to still be the conservative Republican from Gate City they had supported in 2001. However, some knew better.

Some knew better because they fought Jerry Kilgore on conservative issues while he occupied the Attorney General's office. Others knew better because they fought his influence in primary battles against liberal incumbents. Still others knew better because Jerry Kilgore couldn't muster the courage to sign a taxpayers pledge or promise to endorse a bill to protect the unborn.

Whatever the reason and whatever the number, there was a group of disgruntled conservatives who wouldn't work or vote for a politician they would have to fight once they got him elected. Kilgore's team dismissed those principled conservatives by saying instead they would win or lose with the "lazy" voters who would otherwise stay home. That move may have been the straw that broke the camel's back for some who were planning to hold their noses and support him despite his shortcomings. That quote certainly didn't encourage them to lend a hand.

The rise and fall of Jerry Kilgore should serve as a model of compromise that conservative politicians should seek to avoid. A wise old adage among political types in Washington, D.C. says "You can't make friends of your enemies by making enemies of your friends." It seems the Republican running at the top of Virginia's statewide ticket this year had to learn that lesson the hard way.

Conservatives thinking of running for statewide office in the future would be wise to learn that lesson from Jerry Kilgore so they don't have to learn it the hard way themselves."

The overwhelming defeat of former Virginia Attorney General Jerry Kilgore, the Republican nominee for Governor in the November 8 election, can be explained in various ways:

1. Kilgore demoralized his pro-life supporters by avoiding clear answers on where he stood regarding abortion in two debates and elsewhere in the campaign.

2. Kilgore ran an entirely negative campaign. He never explained in a positive sense why people should support his gubernatorial candidacy. This was similar to the failure of Mark Earley, the GOP nominee four years ago, but unlike the campaign of Jim Gilmore who was elected Governor in 1997 with a clear promise to eliminate the "car tax".

3. President Bush’s last minute visit to Virginia did little to inspire Republicans disillusioned with his Presidency, and did much to remind Democrats that they had an opportunity to stick it to the GOP.

4. Democrat Tim Kaine projected a sense of heft, gravitas, and, if you will, manliness which did not emanate from the persona of Jerry Kilgore.

5. Republicans by supporting Governor Mark Warner’s tax increase agenda divided their party and prevented Kilgore from using taxes as a winning issue.

6. Voters were generally satisfied with Warner’s governorship and saw a vote for Lieutenant Governor Kaine as a way of giving Governor Warner a second term.

Kaine’s victory is a big boost to the Democratic Party Presidential aspirations of Mark Warner, and certainly does nothing to push forward Senator George Allen’s prospective Presidential candidacy.

In 1974, the year of the Watergate elections, Republicans were clobbered, not because Democrats increased their vote, but because Republican voters, confused and demoralized, stayed home.

Some of that happened in Virginia. Unhappiness with Bush and various issues of ethics and integrity could well stultify the GOP base in 2006, leading to a Democratic Party takeover of at least one house of Congress.

George Bush will not change. His "New World Order" agenda will still be in place in November, 2006. Iraq, the price of gas, concerns about Social Security, disagreements with Bush concerning Federal education policy, the United Nations, McCain-Feingold, foreign aid, ethical concerns, immigration, trade policy, and other issues will hurt every candidate running on the Republican line.

What Christians, conservatives, and Constitutionalists need do is have our own "Contract with America", in which we set forth ten pivotal issues and encourage candidates to endorse our agenda as a prerequisite to our endorsing and supporting them.

The agenda should cover parental rights, Constitutionally-defiant judges, immigration, trade, abortion, the United Nations, sodomy, and other key issues. It should be very specific, setting forth particular pieces of legislation such as the Right to Life Act (establishing the legal personhood of the unborn) and avoid vague generalities.

Ron Paul’s "American Sovereignty Restoration Act" to get America out of the U.N. should definitely be on the list, along with the Constitution Restoration Act (CRA), the "Defense of Marriage Act", and similar specific proposals.

Constitutional conservatives owe a debt of gratitude to Alan Keyes, Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham, David Frum, George Will, David Keene, National Review, Human Events, Rush Limbaugh, Mat Staver, Gary Bauer, Phyllis Schlafly, Richard Viguerie, Robert Bork, Bill Kristol, Charles Krauthammer, and members of The Conservative Caucus for their outspoken challenge to the nomination of Harriet Miers to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.

It’s also a plus that so many conservative leaders warned of their opposition should President Bush name his Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, to a seat on the court.

Because so many conservatives – a large number of whom had previously been uncritical of the Bush presidency – took a stand in the Miers case, we now have a much better choice to sit on the court, Samuel Alito.