Santorum’s campaign says the former senator will stay in Pennsylvania with 3-year-old Bella, who has a genetic condition known as Trisomy 18. The condition typically proves fatal and Santorum often says his daughter wasn’t expected to live past 12 months.

Spokesman Hogan Gidley says Santorum hopes to return to a campaign schedule soon.

Santorum canceled his appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and a stop at a Miami church.

This is “family values” to me, no hyperbole, no bombastic speeches, just a devoted daddy staying with his little girl; thoughts and prayers for the Santorum’s and for little Bella.

Family members said the military informed them Wednesday night of the death 1LT David Johnson, 24.

The U.S. Department of Defense said later Thursday that Johnson was on foot patrol Wednesday when an improvised explosive device exploded and fatally wounded him.

Johnson, a platoon leader, was assigned to the Army’s 5th Battalion; 20th Infantry Regiment; 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team; 2nd Infantry Division at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington.

“We are very proud of our son,” said the release from the soldier’s parents, Andrew and Laura Johnson. “He is a hero. He first was a man of God. He has been a strong leader at Mayville High School, at Evangel University and to the men in his unit. David had no fear of adversity; he lived life to the fullest. There are no regrets. He is an American hero. We love him very much and miss him very much.”

Andrew Johnson is publisher of the Dodge County Pioneer in Mayville, in southeastern Wisconsin.

The community has been hit hard by news of the death, said Katie Leb, an acquaintance of David Johnson and editor of the newspaper.

“In this town, the Johnson family is well-known and well-loved, and to lose David has saddened everyone,” Leb said Thursday. “Everyone here was tremendously proud of him and what he did for our country.”

Johnson joined the Army soon after graduating from high school in 2006 and was a leader in the ROTC during college, Leb said.

Johnson’s family was traveling to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where the soldier’s remains were being sent.

Johnson was a 2011 graduate of Evangel University in Springfield, Mo., a school his brother Michael attends. Campus pastor John Plake said David was the oldest of four siblings. He had two brothers and a sister.

1LT Johnson is the 1,888th American to die in Afghanistan … Ich hatt’ einen Kameraden

Excuse me? Mittens didn’t fully disclose his income and financial affairs? He lied to the American people? That can’t be? Oh wait, I know, he doesn’t know what goes on in his life, remember from the debate the other evening? Mittens isn’t responsible for any of his actions because he doesn’t take any actions, others take his actions for him.

The tax returns released by the Romney campaign this week showed that the Ann Romney Blind Trust had reported $1,783 in interest income from a bank account held at UBS in Switzerland in 2010. But, wait, oh snap, the interest earned from the Swiss bank account — as well as holdings in other offshore investments in the Cayman Islands, Bermudas and Ireland that appear in the trust fund’s tax returns — were not disclosed in Romney’s financial disclosure form filed with the Office of Government Ethics last August.

How can a mogul of business, who’s supposedly going to turn around our economy, not know there were millions of dollars unaccounted for? Oh, that’s right; he’s not responsible for anything.

One of Willard’s campaign officials reportedly sent out an email stating that Romney’s financial disclosure form is now being amended with the government ethics office “to address this minor discrepancy” and “to deal with some other minor issues.”

It’s just “some other minor issues” they’re dealing with, “minor issues” to the tune of millions of dollars, and at least 23 funds and partnerships in low-tax foreign countries such as Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and Luxembourg.

Once again Willard Mittens Romney proves why he’s not presidential; not knowing what’s going on around you might be acceptable in club house of your yacht club but it’s not acceptable in the Oval Office. You also can’t decide that you don’t have to play by the same rules everyone else has to play by. Mittens is not one of us, he’s never worried about where the next month’s rent was going to come from, he’s never worried how they were going to pay for a doctor’s visit for a sick child,and in spite of what he’s said he’s never worried about getting a pink slip.

Real average Americans don’t hide their money in off shore accounts and then lie about them when they’re told to disclose everything. He’s either a dishonest liar, or he’s an ignorant, bungling rich boy; America can’t afford either as its President.

The photo was uploaded to Facebook on 20 Jan 12 complete with the caption, “Another trip to the ranch,” and  was quickly removed, after the Secret Service showed up and started asking about it.

“We’re aware of it, and we’re conducting the appropriate follow-up steps,” Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan told The New York Times.

The Peoria Police Department has also mounted its own internal probe into the photo.

“We have a social media policy that addresses employee conduct with respect of the use of social media,” Jay Davies, a spokesman for the department, told Arizona CBS affiliate KPHO.

He reportedly said Shearer would remain on duty while the investigation is carried out to determine whether his actions violate the department’s social media policy.

Shearer – not surprisingly – is saying the imagery of the picture is being taken out of context.

“I don’t think that the shooting of that t-shirt is that big of a deal. … I think it was more of a political statement,” Shearer told Arizona’s ABC15. “Obviously, it’s not like they were going to go out and shoot the president, no.”

Exactly what kind of “political statement” does SGT Shearer think he’s making? He has a group of what appears to be white teens, holding automatic weapons and pistols, with a t-shirt bearing the first Black President’s image shot full of bullets holes; just some good old white boys out shooting? The only possible “political statement” to be construed here is that you want the President assassinated; because, I’m sorry, but this isn’t something anyone – especially a police officer – jokes about.

On top of that, considering this is Arizona – the same state where they just lost one of their members of Congress (Gabbi Giffords) due to injuries sustained in an assassination attempt which left six dad and more than a dozen wounded – this is a very BIG deal. There’s a huge question here about Shearer’s judgment, and that should be a concern for the community he serves; but wait, what am I thinking? This is the home state of Sherriff Joe, and the OK Corral.

The Secret Service should investigate, and Shearer should resign or be fired. This is a big deal; it isn’t harmless fun. I think it’s safe to guess which political party Shearer and his teen minions are members of, Tea anyone?

Riveting Wolf, riveting … did you fall out of the stupid tree and hit every branch on the way to the ground? A young woman who was unemployed with no health insurance had just minutes before asked the so-called candidates what they would do for her – of course none of them answered her question; I’ll bet she was waiting on pins and needles to find out the answer to that truly valid question.

I suddenly found myself wistfully wishing Michele Bachmann was still in the race.

Of course we got to hear all the wonderful qualifications of the candidate’s wives, how they’d raised hundreds of children while still finding time to establish world class music schools, baking cookies for orphans and working down at the USO Stage Door Canteen; and of all the husbands no one was more gushing over with praise than Newt for his current spouse (number 3), and former paramour, Callista.

All I could think was, “First Mistress anyone?”

I’m sorry, but Newt’s former concubine turned wife as First Lady?

I know, perhaps they could hire Heidi Fleiss to be her social secretary?

Enough of Newt pretending his concern about “family values” and how much he’s a devoted husband, and how his past indiscretions should be forgotten because he’s found religion and is now a good boy – at least as long as Callista stays healthy.

This isn’t only about Newt’s infidelity it’s also about a former staffer (Callista) being the Speaker’s mistress before he “made a proper woman out of her”. Both of their morals leave a great deal to be desired, and women who sleep their way to the top – sort of speak – are not called “First Lady,” a term which implies, well, first and foremost, that they’re a lady.

This isn’t “Pretty Woman” where the young call girl is turning tricks to survive and can be forgiven as she is introduced to the finer things in life and over time becomes a lady; this is about a Congressional staffer who graduated cum laude from college knowing exactly what she was doing when she became the modern day Madame de Pompadour to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the person second in line in succession to the President.

Yes sir, Newt and Callista, quite the poster couple for fidelity and family values.

One last thought on this happy couple; why is it Republicans have no issue with a former Speaker who was having not just one, but multiple affairs – in the capitol – with staffers, while serving in office as a “family values” conservative, but they pilloried – and continue to pillory – President Clinton for having an affair in the Oval Office, with a staffer? “It’s not about his affair, it’s that he lied about it” is what conservatives say when asked. Bunk; it’s about the double standard of the conservative Christian right, the “family values” party. I have a problem with someone who is, or who has been, an adulterer holding any public office because they’re untrustworthy; it’s as simple as that; wedding vows are an oath, a covenant every bit as binding as an oath of office. If a man can’t keep one oath why should he be trusted to keep the other?

Hypocrisy thy name is the Republican Tea Party; Newt was a dreadful Speaker he would make an equally horrendous President.

It’s painful to continue watching Ron Paul’s “crazy uncle” routine week after week; he’s actually beginning – with each passing debate – to appear to be morphing into the two guys (Statler and Waldorf) who used to sit in the balcony and heckle poor hapless Fozzy Bear each week on the Muppet Show. Please Congressman, you’re embarrassing yourself. I don’t admit it hasn’t been fun (at times), but now it’s time for your nurse to take you back to your room and give you your meds.

Now, don’t get me wrong, very few people enjoy seeing the Grand Old Party implode more than me, but this is getting way past painful to watch, and it’s far past becoming a joke. At this point I’d rather watch a “Mama’s Family” marathon.

Of course, Congressman Paul’s never stood a chance of winning the nomination, most political party’s – including the GOTP – try to avoid nominating people who can’t get elected, well, there was that whole Sarah Palin thing, but why open that old wound and poor lemon juice into it? People aren’t laughing with you Dr. Paul, they’re laughing at you; seriously, you stand a better chance of being mauled by a pack of rabid dingos, a white Bengal tiger and mountain lion at the same time than winning the nomination much less being elected president. Paging Dr Paul, it’s “To Dream the Impossible Dream” Don Quixote, not “To Dream the There Ain’t No Frickin Way It’s Ever – And I Do Mean Ever – Going to Happen Rag Time Dream”.

Hopefully the people of Florida will finally make it crystal clear to you that it’s time; we’ll see; but then again they did elect Rick Scott.

On the seemingly unending wars in the Middle East, after more than seven years, billions of dollars wasted, 4,484 American dead and 32,200 Americans wounded he got us out of Iraq and in ending the war there has allowed America to strike decisive blows against our enemies. As the President said in his State of the Union Address, “From Pakistan to Yemen, the al Qaeda operatives who remain are scrambling, knowing that they can’t escape the reach of the United States of America.”

He’s drawing down the number of American forces in Afghanistan – after more than ten years of war – with plans to have all American forces out by the summer of 2014.

He ended the previous stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan longer than their enlistment date

He ended Bush/Cheney policy of awarding no-bid defense contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the kind that led to faulty wiring and the electrocution of American soldiers trying to shower.

He ended the Bush policy of not paying for things in the budget, like the two wars, Medicare Part B and his infamous tax breaks for the uber-rich.

Through the power of his administration’s diplomacy, a world that was once divided about how to deal with Iran’s nuclear program now stands as one. The regime is more isolated than ever before; and the President has said that its leaders are faced with crippling sanctions, and as long as they shirk their responsibilities, this pressure will not relent.

Regarding the unlawful treatment of prisoners he issued executive orders closing secret CIA detention/interrogation facilities in Eastern Europe started by Bush/Cheney; he also signed a detailed executive order banning the torture and inhumane treatment of prisoners previously approved and practiced under Bush/Cheney

He authorized operations responsible for taking out Osama Bin Laden, Anwar al-Awlaki, and more than 20 top Al Qaeda leaders

He authorized American military support of militants in Libya leading to the overthrow and death of Moammar Gadhafi

He’s given advanced weapons to Israel which his predecessor refused to provide, and has increased aid to Israel

On more than one occasion he’s authorized Navy Seals to free hostages held by Somali “pirates”- most recently this week

His administration has put more boots on the border than ever before; resulting in more arrests, more deportations and fewer illegal crossings now than when he took office.

He’s authorized construction/opening of additional health centers to care for veterans

He ended “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, doing away with a frivolous regulation responsible for accomplishing nothing of benefit to the defense of this nation.

He led the efforts to reverse a downward spiral of the stock market which on 19 Jan 09, the last day of President Bush’s presidency, closed at 8,218.22 on 25 Jan 12, the closed at 12,830.86

After the disastrous economic freefall and catastrophic loss of jobs during the last year of the Bush administration he’s led the economic recovery responsible for creating more than 3.2 million jobs during the last 22 months, including more jobs created in the last years since 2005

On the day he took office, the American auto industry was on the verge of collapse. Some even said he should let it die. With a million jobs at stake, he refused to let that happen. In exchange for help, he demanded responsibility. He got workers and automakers to settle their differences. He got the industry to retool and restructure. Today, General Motors is back on top as the world’s number one automaker. Chrysler has grown faster in the U.S. than any major car company. Ford is investing billions in U.S. plants and factories. And together, the entire industry added nearly 160,000 jobs.

He led the effort to pass the $789 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (economic stimulus plan) creating some 2.1 million jobs and responsible for providing badly needed funding for repair of a failing national infrastructure

He created a Trade Enforcement Unit charged with investigating unfair trade practices in countries like China, conducting more inspections to prevent counterfeit or unsafe goods from crossing our borders.

He ended previous administration’s policy of offering tax benefits to corporations who outsource American jobs; the new policy is to promote in-sourcing to bring jobs back

He ended previous practice of protecting credit card companies; in place of it are new consumer protections from credit card industry’s predatory practices

He provided tax credits to first-time home buyers through the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 to revitalize the U.S. housing market

He led the effort to pass the Children’s Health Insurance Reauthorization Act providing quality health care to 11 million kids – 4 million who were previously uninsured

He signed an executive order removing restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research

He led the efforts to extend healthcare to more than 30 million previously uninsured Americans

He’s a stalwart supporter of a woman’s right to choose

He appointed the first Latina to the Supreme Court

He directed his Administration to allow the development of clean energy on enough public land to power three million homes, and directed the Department of Defense, the world’s largest consumer of energy, to make one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history — with the Navy purchasing enough capacity to power a quarter of a million homes a year.

He will soon sign an Executive Order clearing away the red tape that slows down too many public works infrastructure construction projects

He’s sending Congress a plan giving every responsible homeowner the chance to save about $3,000 a year on their mortgage, by refinancing at historically low interest rates. No more red tape. No more runaround from the banks. A small fee on the largest financial institutions will ensure it won’t add to the deficit, and will give banks that were rescued by taxpayers a chance to repay a deficit of trust.

He approved fewer regulations in the first three years of his presidency than my Republican predecessor did in his. He’s ordered every federal agency to eliminate rules that don’t make sense. His administration’s enacted more than 500 reforms, saving business and citizens more than $10 billion over the next five years.

He’s made it clear that big banks or financial institutions are no longer allowed to make risky bets with customers’ deposits. They’re required to write out a “living will” detailing exactly how they’ll pay the bills if they fail — because – thanks to the President – the rest of us aren’t bailing them out ever again. Mortgage lenders or a payday lenders or a credit card companies have been told the days of signing people up for products they can’t afford with confusing forms and deceptive practices are over. Today – thanks to the President – American consumers finally have a watchdog in Richard Cordray with one job: To look out for them.

He’s establishing a Financial Crimes Unit of highly trained investigators to crack down on large-scale fraud and protect people’s investments. Some financial firms violate major anti-fraud laws because there’s no real penalty for being a repeat offender. That’s bad for consumers, and it’s bad for the vast majority of bankers and financial service professionals who do the right thing. He’s challenged Congress to pass legislation that makes the penalties for fraud count.

He’s  asked his Attorney General to create a special unit of federal prosecutors and leading state attorneys general to expand federal investigations into the abusive lending and packaging of risky mortgages that led to the housing crisis. This new unit will hold accountable those who broke the law, speed assistance to homeowners, and help turn the page on an era of recklessness that hurt so many Americans.

These are just a few of my reasons for supporting my President.

I voted for him in 2008 because America couldn’t afford to continue the disastrous policies made famous under Bush/Cheney and which McCain/Palin had sworn to continue, and I will be voting for him again in 2012 because we, as a nation, cannot afford to go back to those same devastating policies under the administrations of any of the Four Horseman of the GOPocalypse.