Prediction: Giuliani-Gingrich vs. Clinton-McCain

America Wants to Know keeps a cracked team of fortune tellers, psychics and detectives on staff to help us predict the future, and so far their track record isn't too bad. They helped us predict in 2005 that the Republicans would lose control of the House and Senate, and in 2004 that Iraq would never be politically stable unless the state-owned enterprises were privatized.

They've been right about a number of other things, too, but bragging about it just makes their price go up.

Recently the cracked team has been huddled around the crystal ball, trying to foresee the 2008 election, and now, at last, they have seen the future.

The Republican ticket will be Rudy Giuliani and Newt Gingrich. The Democratic ticket will be Hillary Clinton and John McCain.

Phony crackpots, you might say, don't they know John McCain is a Republican? He can't be the vice presidential nominee on the Democratic ticket.

But you might take note that former President Clinton told ABC's George Stephanopolous today that John McCain is "very impressive," and that John McCain has passed up many chances to say something critical of Hillary Clinton. Instead, he has complimented her effusively, even though it's well known that criticizing Hillary Clinton is the way to a Republican primary voter's heart.

But what about the abortion issue, you might ask. Senator McCain is pro-life. That's not going to go over very well with Democratic voters.

Consider this: In South Carolina, where the majority of Republican primary voters are Baptists, John McCain recently announced that after a lifetime as an Episcopalian, he is now a Baptist.

If he can do that, he can certainly say "I am personally against abortion but I don't believe it's always appropriate to make it a crime."

Would Senator McCain change parties for a spot on the national ticket?

He might not expect to be re-elected in Arizona after telling the voters that he knew -- and they didn't -- what was best for the country on immigration.

But he may not have to change parties, because Hillary Clinton might be perfectly willing to have a Republican on the ticket with her. It would put a stop to charges that she's partisan and divisive. And John McCain has all those military credentials to make up for the fact that she's, you know, kind of girly to be president. (By the way, whatever happened to the black pantsuits? Fire at the dry cleaners?)

On the Republican side, our cracked team sees the future as murky for Mitt Romney, who is currently pumping more of his own money into his campaign, and foresees an avalanche of votes for Rudy Giuliani on February 5th, regardless of what happens in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. The available Mr. Gingrich of Georgia, whose conservative credentials are 18 karat gold-plated, will be very helpful to New York City's former mayor after he wins the nomination with the votes of moderates and needs to turn out the conservatives in November.

Too many ex-wives on the same ticket?

Is Hillary Clinton going to run as the poster child for marital bliss?

Next subject.

Who's going to win?

The Republicans.

Why?

This is where we had to bring in four extra crystal balls and three more psychics. And this is what they foresee:

On health care: While everyone talks about health care reform, not everyone has the same thing in mind. That's because when average people say "something has to be done about health care," what they are really saying is "I want everything I need, I want the best, I want it promptly, and I want someone else to pay for almost all of it." Hillary Clinton will argue for a plan full of mandates that falls well short of meeting that wildly unrealistic expectation. Rudy Giuliani will easily shred Hillary's plan. He will argue for tax breaks and individual choice. Winner: nobody.

On taxes: Hillary Clinton will argue for repealing "the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans" and will propose spending the revenue on other programs. Eventually someone will do the math and realize that she is spending the same money five times. Rudy Giuliani will come out strongly in favor of lower taxes. Winner: the Republicans.

On national security: You can have an argument over who's tougher, Giuliani or Clinton, but why? Michael Vick's pit bulls wouldn't have a prayer against either one of them. Winner: nobody.

On illegal immigration and border security: The Democrats (and President Bush) have committed suicide on this issue. Winner: the Republicans.

On Iraq: Sadly, neither Giuliani nor Clinton has any idea of how to get U.S. troops out of Iraq without blowing up the world. Winner: nobody.


Copyright 2007

Editor's note: If you would like to know how the U.S. can get out of Iraq without blowing up the world, read "The Motive for War: How to End the Violence in Iraq" and "A Plan to Get Out of Iraq: Blackstone's Fundamental Rights and the Power of Property."


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