The Pink Flamingo :: THURS MAY 3 The Great Debate and The Great Cat Soap Opera

The lab reports are in. When I called earlier today, Jerry was afraid we were dealing with cat food liver failure. Yep, after losing Georgie to liver failure I don’t mind admitting I panicked. Add to it the loss of Brunhilda and we did not have a good day. All of it, though, was put into perspective by the fact that our pediatrician, Dr. Franklin, lost his son about 3 weeks ago. (It looks like a minimum of manslaughter charges will be filed against Court’s roommate).

The first set of numbers indicate kidney shut down and liver failure. Dr. Franklin was very concerned about the cat food component until he discovered that Redford is seriously anemic. There is a slight indication of an infection, but nothing serious. After the second blood test following fluids, his kidneys started improving in the tests. The liver count was still very high.

The final test results will not be in for another 5 days. We’re looking at the million dollar cat, if he survives. Right now, Dr. Franklin isn’t very optimistic, but is holding out a little hope. He’s already determined if the little guy doesn’t make it an autopsy is definitely required.

So we are looking at the following:

Liver disease due to a bite, tick bite, parasite (will not survive until the tests come back)

Pre-natal parasite that is attacking the liver (may be treatable but not optimistic)

Feline Leukemia, which could spell disaster for the whole family. (Dr. Franklin said it is not as much of a problem as it was.

Poisoning due to pet food contamination (being eliminated)

Infection (not at the top of the list)

Something genetic because of the single branch family tree. (This is actually at the top of the list)

The bottom line is Dr. Franklin wants to see both Doc and Miss Piggy next week for tests. Doc hasn’t had shots in about 4 years, which is not good. But – Dr. Franklin thinks there is enough immunity to feline leukemia. Because everyone else appears to be quite healthy, right now Dr. Franklin is leaning toward some sort of organic problem due to a birth defect.

THE GREAT DEBATE

Have you noticed that it is primarily the media that is trying to psych out the GOP by telling everyone conservatives are looking for another Reagan? I think that’s where our MSM ‘conservatives’ are getting their news then go on to whine and complain about no Reagan. I think the debate this evening was fun, but then I am a political junkie. I view debates as sporting events. I love the way Matthews was hammered. If he were pitching, he’d be out by the 2^nd inning. I think the real winner tonight was the GOP. We proved why we were different. The big losers were libertarians who were poorly served by Henry Gibson….opse Ron Paul. FYI – I think the big winner may be Joe Lieberman who probably has any Cabinet post in just about any upcoming GOP administration he wants!

My off the wall thought about the debate this evening is aside from Ron Paul, all our other GOP candidates, including Tancredo were far superior than the top Dem. I think we can be proud of the GOP! As of this writing, I’ve not seen any other commentary online, nor have I heard anything other than turning back to H&C to watch Newt fiddle-fart around on why he hasn’t announced yet. So, the following comments are completely off the cuff.

1. Ron Paul reminded me of Laugh-In’s Henry Gibson. All he needed was a giant sunflower, and that’s the truth.

2. Tom Tancredo wasn’t first string. If he were in professional baseball I’d put him in AA ball. He was obviously nervous, but held his own.

3. Sam Brownback is definitely not ready for prime time

4. Mike Huckabee was okay, but an also ran.

5. Jim Gilmore did not hurt his cause. I think he is a good Cabinet choice down the line.

6. Mitt Romney was in over his head. He came across as a small town southern religious minister of music complete with the powder blue leisure suit, slick hair, and white shoes. I think it was Roger Hitchcock today on Rush who proposed Romney use some of his extensive war chest that cannot even buy him a vote and see if he could use his money and purchase opinion poll credits like Algore would buy carbon credits.

7. Duncan Hunter would do better if he would quit harping on immigration. Until he began to sound like a broken record I was fairly impressed with him.

8. Tommy Thompson was quite good, but then I’ve always has a soft spot for him. I think his proposal for dealing with the oil revenue in Iraq is inspired.

9. John McCain was excellent. In many ways I think he did the best job tonight. He certainly did not hurt himself.

10. Rudy Giuliani spent too much time on talking points. They were good, but as a Giuliani supporter I thought there were too many talking points. My honest opinion is Giuliani came in just slightly below McCain.

Right Wing News has Huckabee and Romney winning. Go figure?

Sister Toldjah has no clear winner.

Instapundit has a wrap-up of misc. bloggers.

Ace of Spaces – Giuliani looked bad.

Captain Ed says Romney won. No accounting for taste.

Wizbang

RedState agrees with me that McCain won.

Malkin thinks Romney won.

Flap

MILBLOGGING

I usually do not reference Hugh Hewitt, but I am this time. The whole crackdown on military blogs is deplorable. I can be a little self-righteous today. I called Steve Pierce, whose office knew nothing of the crackdown. They have promised to investigate. Pete Domenici’s office is tracking the story. Jeff Bingaman’s office could have cared less. This lead me to the following question. Which Dems are behind the crackdown?