See previous: 2007.05.02 Decision '08 Roundup ...

Below the fold, newest items at the top:

• Some initial post-debate thoughts
• The Obama campaign: home of the Whopper
• Obama placed under Secret Service protection
• The fix on tonight's debate

The Myth of Cuban Health Care
Fred Thompson

You might have read the stories about filmmaker Michael Moore taking ailing workers from Ground Zero in Manhattan to Cuba for free medical treatments. According to reports, he filmed the trip for a new movie that bashes America for not having government-provided health care.

Now, I have no expectation that Moore is going to tell the truth about Cuba or health care. I defend his right to do what he does, but Moore’s talent for clever falsehoods has been too well documented. Simply calling his movies documentaries rather than works of fiction, I think, may be the biggest fiction of all.

While this PR stunt has obviously been successful — here I am talking about it — Moore’s a piker compared to Fidel Castro and his regime. Moore just parrots the story they created — one of the most successful public relations coups in history. This is the story of free, high quality Cuban health care.

The truth is that Cuban medical care has never recovered from Castro’s takeover — when the country’s health care ranked among the world’s best. He won the support of the Cuban people by promising to replace Batista’s dictatorship with free elections, and to end corruption. Once in power, though, he made himself dictator and instituted Soviet-style Communism. Cubans not only failed to regain their democratic rights, their economy plunged into centrally planned poverty. ...

Read the whole thing, folks. Fred! '08! Fred! '08!

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*** Michelle's post here is well worth your time. I wish I'd realized she was blogging during the debate. (HT: Dan Riehl)

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Some initial post-debate thoughts:

How has Ron Paul passed for a Republican for so long?

Romney didn't do half bad. Still not my choice but not a major loser by any means.

I still think Hunter would make a good President but he just doesn't have what it takes to get elected.

If the Dhimms can refuse to debate on FOX couldn't the Republicans have at least insisted on a politcally neutral moderator?

I'm going to spend some time on other things, maybe even a nap, then start checking out blogger reax later.

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Too short for a good excerpt: The Obama campaign: home of the Whopper

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The fix on tonight's debate 
Paul Mirengoff

Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post's blog "The Fix" previews tonight's debate among the Republican presidential candidates. Cillizza provides his view of the stakes for each candidate and what they need to accomplish.

The stakes seem highest for Mitt Romney. The images of Giuliani and McCain are already well-formed, though they undoubtedly can use some polishing with the Republican base. Other than Romney, the other participants appear to be "pretenders." But Romney has the financial resources to contend, is not doing badly in Iowa and New Hampshire, and is flirting with double digits in the national popularity polls. Having finally built a little momentum, this is his chance to introduce himself to many Republican voters on his own terms, not in a YouTube circulated by his enemies or opponents.

Romney is smart and engaging enough to take advantage of this opportunity. However, ...

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Obama placed under Secret Service protection

(CNN) -- Illinois senator and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has been placed under the protection of the U.S. Secret Service, the Secret Service said Thursday.

A statement from Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said he authorized the protection detail for Obama.

"As a matter of procedure, we will not release any details of the deliberations or assessments that led to protection being initiated," the statement said. "For security reasons we will not release the timing, scope or details of any protective operations."

FoxNews has more here.