I think I’m going to start a new category here at B4M – something along the lines of Sports Illustrated’s This Week’s Sign The Apocalypse Is Upon Us.  Well, This Week’s Sign is Fox New’s Blue Streak columnist Susan Estrich.  She’s much easier to read than she is to listen to, but she nailed the Mitt vs. Mickelson brouhaha.  I give credit where credit is due.  Well said, Susan.
 
Much has been made over the past few days about the Mitt-Rudy ‘sanctuary city’ dust up.  Mitt says Rudy continued a holdover ‘sanctuary’ policy from Ed Koch.  For the record, here’s what Rudy said in 1994:

Some of the hardest-working and most productive people in this city are undocumented aliens.  If you come here and you work hard and you happen to be in an undocumented status, you’re one of the people who we want in this city. You’re somebody that we want to protect, and we want you to get out from under what is often a life of being like a fugitive, which is really unfair.

Quacks like a duck.  Walks like a duck.  Barring an epiphany to the contrary, it’s probably a duck.  HT Evangelicals For Mitt.
 
Here’s a shocker – at least it will be to the MSM.  The Des Moines Register’s Perry Beeman reports that Mitt believes discrimination based on sexual orientation is wrong.   Says Mitt:

We as a society don’t discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation.  If people are looking for people who are anti-gay, they aren’t going to find that with me. But I am going to fight to protect traditional marriage.
 
I don’t believe in discrimination against people because they are gay. In state employment, I never asked anyone about their sexual orientation, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we hired a gay judge or two. I am not anti-gay.

If I had an egg timer, I’d use it to time the right wing nutters as they spin up their “Mitt favors gay agenda” posts.  It’s a fundamental principle of this nation that all people are created equal and are entitled to equal protection under the law.  Mitt believes that.  So do I.  Equal protection doesn’t extend to redefining marriage.  Deal with it.
 
The AP’s Glen Johnson writes about how Mitt uses his business acumen to effectively run his campaign.  Johnson’s reporting is good, and you can tell he’s been shadowing Mitt’s campaign for awhile now.  But when I read this paragraph I almost fell out of my chair:

One small but potentially potent bloc: Romney‘s fellow Mormons. While a church almanac says there are only 22,100 Mormons in Iowa, seven-tenths of 1 percent of the state‘s overall population, if they appear en masse at the caucuses, it could be a boon to Romney.

Memo to Johnson:  You don’t know many Mormons, do you?  The possibility of getting all 22,100 Mormons to do anything en masse is about as remote as getting Hillary Clinton to do the funky chicken on Letterman.  Mitt’s support will be broad based and although I’m sure there will be a Mormon contingent voting for him, it won’t be the deciding factor.
 
The Midland Reporter-Telegram’s Bob Campbell reports that Mitt plans to visit Midland, Texas in September.  I’ve once lived in Midland during September.  My only advice to Mitt on Midland is: Bring water.  Lots of water.  There’s no water in Midland – at least none worth drinking.
 
I’d comment on VDARE’s Randall Burns and his link filled anti-Mitt diatribe, but pretty much all you need to know is contained in his two-line bio at the bottom of the column.  He works for Dennis Kucinich – Cleveland’s gift to political comedy.  Enough said.
 
The Washington Post’s Shear and MacGillis report on Mitt’s Iowa cash advantage.  Bottom line – Money talks.
 
The Hawkeye’s Kiley Miller writes about Ann in the kitchen.
 
There’s just no pleasing the New York Observer’s Steve Kornaki.  Memo to Steve:  Easy on the pickle juice.  End Memo.
 
Newsweek’s Gaggle writer Holly Bailey blows the lid off Mitt’s secret weapon that will catapult him to victory at Ames.  What’s the secret?  Food.  Memo to Holly:  Mormons don’t drink, smoke, or take drugs.  Add to that the prohibition against illicit (extramarital) sex and we’re running short on vices.  We’re good a food based hospitality and have been since the Nauvoo Mansion House was opened in the 1840s.  Food.  Its what we do.  End Memo.
 
The Deseret Morning News’ Lisa Riley Roche has (yet another) article on Mitt and the Mormon issue.  Sigh.  There are so many on this subject I’m thinking of developing a macro with boilerplate commentary.
 
(Lack of) Reason’s Jacob Sullum wanted to write something about Mitt and medicinal marijuana.  I’m not sure, but Jason might have inhaled some time during his writing session.
 
Today’s Cheap Shot award goes to the Boston Herald’s Peter Getzinis.  With columns like his, Getzinis should be careful about who he calls and “empty vessel.”
 
PolicialDerby’s Jason Wright wonders when Mitt will start to worry about the national poll numbers which have him tied with McCain.  I’ll be happy to answer.  Memo to Jason:  Mitt will start to worry about the national polls when they start to actually reflect voter sentiment.  Right now its August.  Most of America is more concerned with air conditioning than they are with the race for the Oval.  Look for Mitt to start focusing more on the national polls in a few months when people outside Iowa and New Hampshire actually start paying attention.  End Memo.
 
The Wall Street Journal’s Mark Jacoby pretty much spells out what is at stake with the Ames poll.  Alright all you stubborn Hawkeyes!  Get out there, vote early, and often!