By Chad D. Baus

With polls showing Ken Blackwell holding anywhere from a 12 to 21 percentage-point lead over Attorney General Jim Petro in the Republican Party primary one week from election day, the Petro campaign has embarked on a Statewide Bus Tour as a get-out-the-vote effort.

Although primary ballots won't be cast until Tuesday, political pundits this weekend were already turning their attention to November, suggesting that poll results showing a contest between Ken Blackwell and Ted Strickland is the Democrats' best hope of taking the governor's office.

No matter which Republican wins on Tuesday, the simple fact is this: Bob Taft has done severe damage to his Party's hopes for continuing to maintain power in Ohio, and party leaders who backed him can't say they weren't warned.

Click on the 'Read More' link for more.

By Gerard Valentino

(This commentary has also been published at CNSNews.com and Townhall.com)

The recent summit led by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was yet another example of the anti-gun movement proving that their own cause has failed.

Bloomberg, and his band of big city mayors, called for an increase in the tracking of illegal guns, and more education for citizens on how to avoid violent encounters. Both ideas are excellent ways to reduce crime and help honest people live without fear of becoming the victim of a criminal attack. Unfortunately, Bloomberg’s gang headed by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino also called for more restrictive gun-control measures.

Considering the mountain of evidence that disproves gun-control as a viable way to reduce crime it is inexplicable that the mayors of two of America’s largest cities could be so ill-informed on the issue. Bloomberg and Menino don’t have to look any farther than their backyard to see just how poorly gun-control has fared. New York City and Massachusetts are two of the least gun friendly places in the nation. Yet, their crime rate is higher than places with permissive concealed carry laws, and places with laws that give the presumption of innocence to law-abiding citizens who use justified deadly force.

Click 'Read More' below for more.