Ambassador to Hungry? Hope they had good food at the event. [Thanks for the catch, Nick -- I was starving for a proofreader. JAKE]

I attended the event last night and having never met or heard Tom Schweich speak in person before, I was very interested in hearing what he and his supporters had to say. I came away from the event very pleased. During this time of economic struggles, Missouri needs an Auditor that will make sure that every penny is not just being spent but being invested wisely. Invested in things that will make Missouri a better state for companies to build, expand and create new jobs. Invested in projects that will help all Missourians and not just a chosen few. Tom’s experience in investigating waste and fraud abuse within one of the most corrupt entities, the United Nations, and his work with the state department makes him the best candidate for the job. Also bravo (not) to the Post-Disgrace for the cut and pasting of a picture of Mr. Schweich from the liberal Fired-Up Missouri website. Your blatant liberal bias is sickening and will be your downfall. [MC -- the photo is an AP image taken of Schweich in 2006 in, as it happens, Madrid. Fired Up! probably got the photo from the wire as well. JAKE]

Missouri Conservative, you need to do a little more research into the duties of the State Auditor before you start explaining why Schweich is qualified for the job.
Investing of the state’s funds is done by the State Treasurer. The auditor . . . audits.

It would be a welcome development to have Republicans with a more realistic view of the world wrest control of their party from the xenophobic crowd (who can reasonably be seen as arguing that the wrong side won the Civil War) which currently dominates the MO GOP. But isn’t the group gathered for Mr. Schweich at the Ritz-Carlton the same who backed Bert Walker in the GOP Primary for Congress in the 2nd District in 1992, which he lost to then-State Rep. Jim Talent? And in that same election backed one John Hall in the GOP Primary for Attorney General, who failed to crack 40% in a two-way race, carrying 7 counties, in his loss to David Steelman (who was then the family’s candidate for statewide office, instead of wife Sarah)? And that was when Jack Danforth was still in the U.S. Senate.

It is my hope that the Danforth Republicans can find a way to defeat the hard right GOP, because Democrats in Missouri have proven truly clueless in attempting it.

Ed seems to be the simple one here. He doesn’t get the fact that the Missouri Conservative was speaking of investment in ther terms of how we spend our tax dollars.

So John Bolton is the guy they bring in to raise funds for this unknown who is supposed to be representing the “established” and less crazy wing of the lunatic Republican Party? Bolton is a nutcase extremist who couldn’t even get confirmed by the Congress. Tells me Schweich, as a veteran Bush foreign policy professional is a dangerous right winger himself and the last sort of person we need in public office. What is it, other than his own enormous ego that drives this guy anyway?

It is a shame that John Bolton was unable to make it through the confirmation hearing due to a Democrat filibuster and pansy Republicans who refused to stand up against Democrat obstructionists and for the defense of America. The United Nations is nothing more than a terrorist clubhouse, filled with corruption, fraud, waste, and abuse. John Bolton is the type of Ambassador that America needs. Someone that puts his country first and doesn’t apologize, hat in hand, to crazy dictators and supporters of terrorist. Someone who knows that all talk and compromise does is allow the enemy the time to complete their plans.

MO conservative:

What have you been smoking? Bolton is one of the most looney, extremist, wingnuts on the American foreign policy scene today. People the world over laugh at Bolton he is so crazy. He is regarded with contempt worldwide as a crackpot because he is a crackpot. The Republicans who refused to come to his aid were embarassed Bush put forward such a loon and would not go to the mat for him. Bolton was a thorough embarassment to this country while serving at the UN and remains a cartoonish caricature of a right wing extremist Republican. If that’s what you’re really for perhaps when wondering why the Republicans are as despised and tiny a party as they are right now you can look in the mirror for an answer.

“…the Republicans are as despised and tiny a party as they are right now…”

True, in the United States of America the Republicans are essentially a regional party, predominant in the states of the former Confederacy, for obvious reasons; for example, the number of members of the U.S. House of Representatives from the New Enland states is exactly ZERO. But in Missouri, the Republicans are in control.

Hey “getreal”; I realize a number of hypocritical lefties have a hard time looking past Bolton’s mustache and terrible hair, but how about setting aside the shrill name-calling tirade and name a position or two that Bolton held that made him such a “looney crack pot”?

Now, Left_in_Jeff made the most important key point in this discussion. The “radically” moderate country clubbers (and the major media) that love Schweich have an abysmal record of selling their candidates to the “ignorant masses”. The race between Icet and Schweick will be quintessential grassroots vs. astroturf. It will take a lot of spin to convince Missourians to favor the jetsetter over the guy who paid his proverbial dues.