"Freedom is not a concept in which people can do anything they want, be anything they can be. Freedom is about authority. Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do."
Romney, the Incompetent
As former governor of Massachusetts, you'd think Mitt Romney might know how many counties there are in the state.
At the Wilton Candy Kitchen, which says it is the "oldest ice cream parlor/soda fountain in the world," Romney told an adoring crowd of mostly elderly residents that his son Josh was about to complete a tour of all 99 counties in Iowa.
A woman raised her hand. "Yes, please!" Romney said.
"How many counties are in Massachusetts?" she asked.
"Thirteen," he said. A few feet away, an aide shook his head and said, "Ten."
"Oh, no, I think it's 13," Romney said. "Not like your 99."
He paused for a moment. "Yeah, if you count Dukes County ... " he trailed off. "So, anyway, we have very, very few."
"Ninety-nine counties," Romney said, apparently hoping to change the subject, "Why didn't you get to 100?"
The crowd laughed good-naturedly.
A spokesman for Romney said he shortly thereafter, "corrected the record" to the right number of 14.
McCain, the Loser
McCain's support has collapsed in Iowa. His support among registered Republicans dropped from 14.4 percent in March to 1.8 percent in July-August. UI political scientists note that McCain has been passed in popularity not only by former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., who earned 5.2 percent support, but also by a Democratic challenger, Obama, who is supported by 6.7 percent of Republicans. No other candidate received more than 3 percent support.
It's just really, really sad.
