Christine Whitman's blog

Chris Matthews has his work cut out for him as he moderates tonight's debate among the ten announced Republican candidates for president.  I hope that, despite the large number of candidates and limited amount of time, the voters get to hear an informative discussion from the candidates - one that really focuses on important issues and leadership abilities.

I finally understand why New Jersey bears the brunt of all those late night talk show jokes.  I was surprised and disappointed to hear that Kean University, one of New Jersey’s finest institutions of higher learning, has asked Jim McGreevey, to join its faculty.

This Sunday is a special day for environmentalists, conservations and all Americans who enjoy the great outdoors.  Started in 1970, Earth Day is an important reminder of our collective responsibility to preserve our natural world as best we can so that future generations may enjoy the beauty of our surroundings and the excitement of outdoor activities.   Of course, preservation of our natural world is an inherently political issue that, too often, is victim to partisan wrangling in Washington, DC.  I never cease to be amazed by the way political partisans of all stripes discount sensible environmental solutions for the sake of short-term political gain.    

The media’s focus on the presidential campaign and the candidates’ frantic pace may give one the impression that the first primaries are next month – in reality, they are almost a year away.  The frontloading of the primary process and hurried fundraising have triggered a presidential campaign that will last more than two years.   For centrist Republicans like myself, we can take solace in the fact that several of the major candidates support the values of the Republican Leadership Council (RLC) – namely fiscal conservatism, engaged foreign policy, responsible environmentalism and social tolerance.  

My thoughts and prayers are with Governor Corzine today as he begins the long road of recovery from his accident last night.  The state will be thinking of him, hoping that he comes out of this critical period well and with minimal pain. I am thankful for the good work of the Cooper University Hospital doctors who have brought the governor to this stable point.

The recent fundraising reports from all the major presidential candidates are significant for two reasons: the large amount of money raised, and the date by which that money was raised.  Keep in mind that it is only March 2007 ­ more than a year and a half away from the presidential election.  By comparison, George W. Bush announced his 2000 campaign for the presidency in June 1999 and Bill Clinton announced his 1992 presidential campaign in October 1991.  

Freedom of speech is one our most cherished rights ­ one our troops fight every day to defend.  The right to free speech makes us the great country we are.  Unfortunately, it also means that people can say ignorant, hurtful and demeaning things as Don Imus did about the Rutgers Lady Scarlet Knights.  As we¹ve seen time and again, the right to speech is no guarantee of “wise speech.�

Nancy Pelosi¹s recent trip to Syria ­the one that has been widely panned by media sources across the spectrum was not just a display of bad politics, it was an example of poor judgment and dangerous policy.

Last week Governor Corzine joined with many of New Jersey¹s Democratic leaders for a major press conference ­ unfortunately, it was the wrong one.
 
Several miles away from where Governor Corzine was pledging his support to Hillary Clinton's campaign for president, the ferry building on Ellis Island was opening its doors for the first time since New Jersey took control of the island in the 1990¹s.

The story of any campaign for president in the year preceding the election (2007, 2003, 1999) is of the candidates' efforts to woo the base voters who always vote in the primaries. You can't win a general election without first winning the primary, and so each of the presidential candidates will spend this year appealing to these primary voters who are more ideologically homogeneous than the electorate at large.