Today there are numerous tributes out there of people celebrating their father's role in their lives for Father's Day. The irreplaceable Meet the Press host Tim Russert celebrated fathers everythere in two books on the subject. In his book about his relationship with his own father, entitled "Big Russ and Me- Fathers and Son: Lessons of Life," he wrote about the importance of fathers in our society. Concluding the introduction of his book, he wrote "I hope this book will encourage readers to think about the things they learned from their fathers. Whatever we achieve and whoever we are, we stand on their shoulders."

Russert was absolutely correct on that point. President Barack Obama, whose policies I often disagree with, had an excellent article in Parade today discussing fatherhood. He wrote the following: " I observe this Father’s Day not just as a father grateful to be present in my daughters’ lives but also as a son who grew up without a father in my own life." Noting the importance of fathers in our society, he later wrote that "[A]s fathers, we need to be involved in our children’s lives not just when it’s convenient or easy, and not just when they’re doing well—but when it’s difficult and thankless, and they’re struggling. That is when they need us most."
 
I hope that fathers out there are listening to the messages of Russert and President Obama and teaching and inspiring their children each and every day. I know that I consider myself lucky and blessed because of my father's role in my life. He has inspired and encouraged me throughout my life and I am grateful for that.

With that in mind, happy father's day to all of the fathers out there who fight for their children's well-being and who teach and inspire their children each day. Today is a day for us to celebrate you.

In a recent interview with conservative talk show host and Townhall.com blogger Hugh Hewitt, author Paul Batura noted that in researching his new book about Paul Harvey, he learned about the affection that millions of Americans had for the radio personality. In that interview, Batura stated that "People who were radio fans would stop what they were doing and adjust their day. They'd make sure they were in their car or at their lunch table listening to Harvey." Such an idea captures what Harvey meant to so many people--a feeling much discussed in Batura's new book on Harvey entitled "Good Day: The Paul Harvey Story."

I recently finished reading the book and was struck by the amazing story of the legendary radio personality. The biography of Harvey begins right before his birth and captures many of the main events of his youth including the riots in Tulsa that took place when Harvey was very young and the tragic death of Harvey's father. Later on, the book focuses on Harvey's budding career in radio and his early success. Batura notes the appeal of Harvey to the local Chicago market when he ultimately moved there: "Chicago listeners saw in Paul Harvey the emergence of a new Uncle Sam. He was honest, forthright, optimistic, and a patriot who appealed to their better natures." In addition to the great work that Harvey did over the airwaves for several decades, the book also explores Harvey's philosophy on promoting products (he "had a longstanding policy that he would not endorse any product he didn't personally use and enjoy with enthusiasm") to his love for his beloved wife Lynne.

Harvey passed away earlier this year but before he did, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bush. As Batura writes, "Only in America could a fatherless boy of a widowed mother with little means, zero influence, and only a high school diploma grow up to stand beside the President of the United States and be declared the epitome of excellence in his field of professional endeavor."

Batura's book does an excellent job in capturing the times in which Harvey lived and in describing what made Harvey a legend in broadcasting who many people will always remember as the man interested in telling "the rest of the story."

Former Speaker of the House Tip O' Neill wrote a book several years ago entitled "All Politics is Local: And Other Rules of the Game." (In his book "Hardball," Chris Matthews noted that O'Neill came up with the famous phrase that headlined his former boss' book.) That phrase, so often repeated in political circles, emphasizes the importance of local issues in local, state and national politics. Although that idea continues to be true today, the failed campaign of Clinton advocate Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia Democratic Primary for Governor is likely to be seen as a symbol of the rejection of the Clintons by the Democrats of Virginia, who voted for then-Senator Barack Obama over Senator Hillary Clinton in last year's Democratic presidential primary. 

In yesterday's Democratic gubernatorial primary, Creigh Deeds, a politician known predominantly in Virginia easily beat Mr. McAuliffe and Brian Moran, for the nomination. Politico.com reported that  "The primary results were a brutal repudiation of the most famous man in the race: former Democratic National Committee Chairman and Clinton family friend Terry McAuliffe, who until recent days was widely seen as in command of the race." CNN.com noted that "McAuliffe, who campaigned in Virginia last year as Hillary Clinton’s finance chair, had run with the backing of national party leaders like Democratic Governor Association chair Brian Schweitzer, but was overtaken in the race’s final weeks by Deeds."  

So are the primary results a direct rejection of the Clintons and their relationship with their fierce ally? Not really. Although McAuliffe received support from former President Clinton, it is doubtful that voters went to the polls thinking about McAuliffe's association with the current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Clinton. The election likely came down to local Virginia issues and an important editorial endorsement for Deeds from the Washington Post. As the Post noted tonight about the late Deeds surge that propelled him to victory, "Deeds, already known by Virginians in all corners of the state after his 2005 bid, began receiving the support of many undecided voters who were attracted to his pledge to bridge regional and partisan divides and invest in road and transit improvements."

Even in an Democratic primary election with a well-known national figure with high-profile friends known for raising money and finding strong political allies, the old O'Neill adage "All politics is local" continues to ring true.

  

During the presidential campaign, after Senator Joe Biden was chosen as Senator Obama's running mate, there was much discussion about Biden's tendency to ride on Amtrak to get to work. In many ways, it showed that Senator Joe Biden was just "a regular guy" who took the train to work like so many others in this country.

Unfortunately, Vice President Biden did not get the memo about "regular guy" Biden. According to Politico.com, Biden recently referred to $600 million dollars "as not a lot of money". Less than five months into his new role as VP, Biden seems to have forgotten his days on the train. 

I assume that most people who ride on Amtrak to get to work would think that $600 million dollars IS a lot of money... 

Several weeks ago, on his program and his blog, Hugh Hewitt brought attention to a New York Times opinion piece by Maureen Dowd that seemed to blame Dick Cheney for future terrorist attacks in this country.

Not to be outdone by his colleague at the Times, Frank Rich penned a new opinion piece that was simply entitled "Who is to Blame for the Next Attack?" Rich bluntly wrote "If there’s another terrorist attack, it will be because the mess the Bush administration ignored in Pakistan and Afghanistan spun beyond anyone’s control well before Americans could throw the bums out."

Even after President Obama has been in office for over 100 days, some of the writers of the New York Times opinion page want to blame Bush and Cheney for possible future terrorist attacks. Neither writer seemed to specify what this window for blaming the former administration would expire in their minds. (Would Bush and Cheney be still responsible if a future attack happened in two years, five years, or a decade?) Even with a new Commander in Chief in the Oval Office, it seems that these writers are still looking to blame the Bush administration for possible attacks in the future.

If we are kept safe from attacks in the future though, I am sure that Dowd and Rich will be open to praising President Obama for keeping us safe...  

The Obama 100 Days Tour concluded in Atlanta last night at an event sponsored by WGKA. Bill Bennett, Hugh Hewitt, and Dennis Prager were there to conclude the 12-city tour.

You can check out photos from the great event below.

Make sure to check out all of the pictures from the tour by clicking here.

The Obama 100 Days Tour visited Chicago last Wednesday at an event sponsored by 560WIND. Hugh Hewitt, Mike Gallagher, and  Michael Medved were there to continue the discussion of Obama's first 100 days in office.

You can check out photos from the great event below.

The Obama 100 Days Tour visited Philadelphia last night at an event at the historic Union League sponsored by Salem radio station WNTP . Bill Bennett, Michael Medved and Hugh Hewitt were enthusiastically joined by hundreds of listeners at the event.

You can check out photos from the great event below along with brief descriptions of them provided by WNTP.




1.) Michael Medved’s national talk radio show is broadcast live from The Union League in Philadelphia.



2.) WNTP’s David Handler and Russ Whitnah greet Hugh Hewitt, the Bennetts and the Medveds.



3.) VIP reception-goers enjoy lavish food stations and conversing with the talk show hosts.



4.) Hugh Hewitt talks with a radio talk show listener.[# More #]



5.) The forum begins: Bill Bennett, Michael Medved and Hugh Hewitt are introduced and speak to the audience.



6.) Thoughtful questions are fielded. The audience listens raptly to wise and sometimes witty answers.



7.) Wife Diane Medved presents Michael with a Salem Communications Award for his commitment to the 12-City “Obama” Tour.



8.) Bill greets his many fans and signs his books for them



9.) Forum attendees enjoy meeting Hugh and Michael and getting their books signed.

The Obama 100 Days Tour visited Cleveland on Thursday night at an event sponsored by Salem radio station WHK.

According to a source who worked at the event, "a capacity crowd of 650 WHK-AM listeners filled the grand ballroom at the Embassy Suites hotel and enjoyed an evening of reflection and wisdom from Salem talk show hosts Bill Bennett, Mike Gallagher and Hugh Hewitt. State Senator John Husted did an exceptional job as moderator and the evening was filled with laughter and
inspiration."

You can check out photos from the great event below provided by Thomas & Thomas Photography. For more photos from this event, click here.

Tonight, the last Obama 100 Days event takes place in Atlanta. There are still several events on the tour so if you are in the area, click here to buy tickets.

The Obama 100 Days Tour visited Minneapolis on Tuesday night at an event sponsored by Salem radio station AM 1280 The Patriot.

According to a source at the event, "A crowd of 1,400 gathered at the Minneapolis Convention Center to hear an in-depth discussion and analysis of the first one hundred days of the Obama administration by three of the brightest minds in America: Bill Bennett, Dennis Prager and Hugh Hewitt."

You can check out photos provided by Fly By Night Graphics, Ltd from the event below.

There are still several events on the tour so make sure you click here to see if the Obama 100 Days Tour is coming to your area. Tickets for the events are still available in a few select cities.