"Trump Of Tarsus?"

And, it is written, that in First Century Judea, in the years following the trial ,crucifixion, and resurrection of the Galilean Prophet, Jesus of Nazareth, that the devout Jewish Rabbi and Leader, Saul of Tarsus, did go forth into many lands,to persecute and torment the disciples of the Risen Christ, those called, "Apostles",,in an effort to end their blasphemy that declared this Jesus, the long awaited Messiah.
For many years, did Saul bring misery and death down upon the heads of  Christ's followers ,until, one day, it came to pass that most irreverent Saul didst' journey to the City of Damascus, to arrest and bring to trial in Jerusalem,many of those disciples who now dared call themselves, "Christians".
On the road leading to Damascus, however, Saul was suddenly struck by a blinding light,that hurled him from his horse, and left him stunned and sightless before a booming voice that demanded of him,.."Saul, why does't "thou persecute me?" "Who are you Lord?" Saul replied. "I am Jesus of Nazareth" , the voice replied,.."The one you torment".
Many days passed, before the blinded Saul was discovered , and taken to the City of Jerusalem, where the Christian disciple, Ananius, did lay hands upon his stricken form, and restored the sight of a man, who, despite having eyes,..had lived his life in darkness. Now with the restoration of his sight,at the hands of a Disciple of the Risen Christ, Saul, for the first time in his life,could truly see, ..and in seeing,.. knew the truth.
Saul ended his persecution of Christians and became the Apostle Paul,who would devote the rest of his life to spreading a message of peace,love, and the brotherhood of man,..the message of Christ. The message that, with Paul's help,would change the world. Paul continued on this mission , right up to the moment of his martyrdom ,at the Gates of Rome itself.
And now, decades later, in 21st Century America,there dwells a man who claims a similar conversion, of equally miraculous consequence.
Donald J. Trump, Real Estate mogul and free market profiteer, a man who conservative icon Bill Buckley Jr. once called a Demagogue, who looks at a glass, and sees it , not as half empty of half full, but only as a mirror of his own reflection.
A man who spent the bulk of his 75 plus years,..as a member of the Democrat Party. A man who befriended and courted the political favors of members of that same Party,..
A man who condemned the Iraq and Afghanistan war, blamed both on Pres Bush,and called Saddam Hussein a "good killer of terrorists"
A man who accused President Bush of lying about the existence of WMD's in Iraq, and urged his "good friend" House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to impeach him.
A man who has donated millions of dollars to Democrat politicians, Chuck Schumer, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and Hillary Clinton,..
A man who is, in fact, good friends with both Bill and Hillary Clinton,..and who has also donated to their money laundering scam,..the Clinton Foundation,..
A man who , in fact called Bill Clinton ,"The Greatest President we ever had",..and said Hillary Clinton was a "Great Secretary of State",..
A man who called for increased taxes on the rich, praised Obamacare,and even called for a complete government controlled single payer healthcare system, similar to Canada's,..
A man who believes in eminent domain, the concept of confiscating a private citizen's property, for corporate, or government use,..and who once tried to kick a woman out of her own home, so he could use her land,..for a casino parking lot,...
A man who called for gun bans, gun restrictions,..and increased gun regulations,..
A man who mocked Senator McCain's war record, called Fox reporter Megan Kelly a "bimbo",and mocked a handicapped reporter's physical affliction,..
A man who supported Federal Government funding of Planned Parenthood,..an organization,..that sells the body parts of fetuses,..for profit,..
A man who supports Federal Government funding of Ethanol production,a fuel source derived from corn,..that does nothing except raise food prices,..and destroy car engines,..
A man who has made personal attacks on every Republican candidate he's running against,.even accusing Senator Ted Cruz , of being ineligible to run for President,..because he is not a U.S.citizen,..
A man who says,..he never prays for forgiveness,..
A man who,.despite running for President, as the outsider,..anti establishment candidate,..now condemns Senator Ted Cruz,..for being that Washington outsider,..and now says that he will work with  Democrats, Pelosi, Reid,..and Schumer,..who he now says he has" always liked,..and always gotten along with",...
A man who,..until a few short years ago,..entire public history of interviews,opinions,.. political affiliations,..and campaign donations,..indicated that he is a Liberal Democrat , pure and simple,..nothing more,..nothing less,..
And yes,..a man who,..unlike Senator Cruz,.. clearly,..and enthusiastically,..supported Amnesty,..for illegal immigrants,...
And yet,.this man whose entire public record would seem to disqualify him from membership in the Republican Party,..is now the frontrunner in that Party's bid for Office of Commander in Chief, of the Armed Forces,..of the United States.
And now,,..in the week before the first Iowa Caucus voting begins,..a man who claimed he could shoot someone in the middle of a Manhattan street , without losing the support of his followers,and ,.in.his latest outrage,..refused to participate in the last Republican Debate in Iowa,..right before the actual start,..of the Iowa Caucus.
Trump's reason for bailing makes him seem even more childish, more Un-Presidential,..than previously perceived.
Trump once again accused Fox News of being unfair to him,by allowing their reporter Megan Kelly ,to co-moderate the proceedings .This is the same Megan Kelly who dared challenge Trump in his first debate,on his past unflattering comments about women. Trump responded predictably,calling Kelly a hack reporter,..and a bimbo,..on twitter. No doubt, the Kelly incident still lingered in Trump's mind, as the latest debate in Iowa  loomed ever nearer.
But, make no mistake,..Kelly's comments on Trump's misogynistic tendencies was not the reason for his no-show.
No, the real reason was Trump's realization that his fellow leading contender for the Presidential nomination,..Ted Cruz,..had taken note of the encounter,..and saw Trump's one , great ,glaring, weakness,..that he could use to beat him,..easily. Cruz realized what Kelly realized,..that, despite all Trump's success so far ,..in the polls,.and his easy handling of the liberal press,..and his fellow candidates,..there was one opponent that Trump could not beat,the one opponent that could easily destroy his Presidential campaign,..and that,..is Trump himself.
Cruz saw,..in the opening moments of that first debate,that all Kelly needed to do,..to completely fluster Trump,..was to confront him with his own words,..his own long,well documented,..history of off -color comments,..childish antics,..and Liberal Democrat bloviations and pronouncements,that are all well documented , in print, and on YouTube as well.
In other words,Cruz now knew what Kelly knew,Trump's endless series of inteviews on television and in print,easily accessed on YouTube and Google,..Trump's own image and words ,..that clearly contradicted everything he claimed to stand for ,now, were the only weapons that Kelly or Cruz needed,to derail Team Trump,and discredit him, as a so called Conservative Republican.
In the previous debate,Cruz used this strategem to Checkmate Trump by claiming that the real estate mogul had"New York Values",..that were incompatable with Iowa values.
Trump saw the attack as an opportunity to accuse Cruz of insulting New Yorkers. Trump even invoked New York , in the aftermath of 911,..to ram home his point.It looked like Trump had won this round easily,.but,..looks were deceiving.Cruz revealed his master stroke , the master chess move,..that forced Trump to bail on the recent debate. Cruz revealed that, in fact,..it was Trump,..on a 1999 interview with Tim Russert ,..who explained his then extremely liberal political viewpoints , by saying that he had,.."New York values, and that those values,..were very different from Iowa values',..
There it was, the most simple,most obvious weapon to use against Trump,..
The one weapon he could not beat ,..
Trump himself.
Megan Kelly exposed this Trump weakness,at the start of the first debate. Cruz took notice,..and used it effectively,.in the first debate of the New Year. It was the most obvious weakness ,..the most obvious weapon.And finally,..Cruz used it.
Checkmate.
Yes, make no mistake,..Trump knew what was coming, in this Iowa debate , right before the crucial first caucus votes were to be cast. Trump knew what was coming from Kelly, and,..especially ,..from Cruz,..
More old Trump quotes,..and most likely,..more Trump videos as well. After all,..Google was the co-sponsor of the event.
Trump did well to avoid this one,for Kelly did have videos that she used against even Cruz, Rubio, and Bush,..all to the purpose of revealing the hypocracy,of their Anti-Amnesty stance.
One can only speculate on the plethora of YouTube videos that Kelly and Cruz had , ready to use against Trump as well.
But, without Trump,..the Republican Debate Machine still marched on, and once again,..all the candidates were primed and ready ,with Trump's absence even permitting the return of Rand Paul to the main stage. Without Trump, the debate may have been less entertaining,..but , it was also more substinative , more focused on the issues ,..issues that matter ,..if America is to be saved. For, despite the entertainment value of Trump's antics , these debates are no game. To choose the wrong candidate can cost lives,..as the Obama Administration has proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt.
For this debate,the childish fun and games were put aside.Playtime was for the playground.
This game has higher stakes.
 Before We the People risk World War Three on one man,..we must make sure,..absolutely sure,..that one man is 100% wholly reliable, and dependable,..in every way.
The childish, boorish behavior of Trump spoke loudly,..in his absence,..No more games,..
There's a job to be done,..
A deadly serious job,..
And the audience in Iowa knew it.
This is why Cruz's attempted spoof of the Trump no show , fell flat .There's nothing funny about the possibility of a Hillary Clinton Presidency,..and the purpose,..the ultimate purpose ,..of these debates is to find the man best suited to prevent it.
The first caucus votes are about to be cast. Time to get serious,..and the candidates,..on this night,..did it.
Rubio, in particular,shined,displaying his finely honed debate skills, natural charisma,.. and  extensive foreign policy and intelligence experience.So too, for Bush, who, without the distraction of Trump looming,..seemed like his old Governor self, focused and confident,even managing a funny, well timed comment about Trump , that worked far better than the Cruz attempt, to be sure. It may have been the best night Jeb Bush has had , in the debate season ,so far.
In fact, apart from Cruz's uncharacteristically flat performance,no doubt due to his unease at being the the main target of the other candidates,..all the candidates seemed polished, more focused, more substinative ,more Presidential. indeed, without the infantile antics of  Trump to deal with.
Rubio gained, Bush gained,..Cruz, remained the same ,..and Fox News gained,..for despite Trump's attempt to control the debate forum and demonize Fox,..despite their slight drop in ratings,..their numbers were still respectable,..and best of all, far better than the ratings for the Trump rally, on CNN.
No Doubt, this was a surprise to Trump , who ,apparently still does not comprehend the fact that he ,..is not the show.
In fact, there is no show.
Trump's polls and ratings, are the result of the American people , looking for answers , solutions,..not reality show entertainment and ratings obsessed narcissism.
For these reasons,Trump for once, displayed a modicum of common sense, chose the better part of valor,and executed a strategic withdraw , all the while still claiming 'mistreatment" at the hands of Roger Ailes, and Fox News. Some things never change.Simply put, despite all Donald J.Trump's claims of having a conservative re-awakening ,..a "Saul of Tarsus",.."Road to Damascus" ,..style,,spiritual and political rebirth,..from lifelong Liberal Democrat ,to Conservative Republican,..
The evidence continues to speak to the contrary.
His continued pettiness,.
His constant personal insults,..
His continued praise of Reid, Pelosi, and Schumer,..who he says he can work with,..
His branding of conservatiism , and extreme conservatives like Ted Cruz,..as unworkable failures,..
His praise of Putin,..
His attacks on Pam Geller,for  mocking of the Prophet Muhammed,..and opposing Sharia Law.,..
And most importantly,..his failure,during his campaign,..to even one time,.. mention the Constitution and its principles, that our Nation was founded on.
Yes, Trump claims a Saul of Tarsus moment , to explain his liberal past,..a Road to Damascus Awakening,..a Reagan -Style conversion ,..from Democrat ,..to Conservative Republican,..
Yet, there is a glaring, obvious difference,..
Saul,..after Damascus,..had a lifetime of works,.and.deeds,..to confirm his conversion.
So too, for Reagan,..who became a Conservative Republican, at a still relatively young age , and served as the Conservative Republican Governor of California, before running for President, twice.Reagan's credentials as a conservative were well established at a young age,..long before his Presidency. So too for Saul,..whose writings,..and record ,..as a leader of the early Christian Church,..and martyr for the cause,..is well documented by history.
Trump, however,..is a man in his late seventies, who, until a few years ago,..still espoused Liberal Democrat values and policies,.including Amnesty for illegals.
Now, Trump asks us to believe that after a lifetime as a Liberal Democrat, from New York,..he has now,..in his late seventies,..suddenly become a Reagan style conservative?
Yes, it's true,..many of the things he says now,..are good conservative policies,..and do have the ring of truth.
Yes, he does now seem to say and believe in the right things,..the things anyone calling themselves, a conservative Republican,.. must believe in.
But, Trump waivers,..and changes stances,..and beliefs,..on issues,almost on a daily basis.
It's almost like he was an actor,..reading from a script,..who, suddenly ,..in mid performance,..forgets ,..not only his lines,..but even the character he's playing,..
Yes Donald J. Trump says many good things,..that do have the ring of truth , and does have an explanation for the things he said in the past,..
The  almost biblical explanation that,.he too, has been on that road to Damascus,..
And, while on that road,..
He has seen the light,..
He has changed,..
Reasonable explanation,..inspiring story,..and, other Democrats,..have seen the light,..and changed as well,..
But,..I simply don't believe him.
Why should I?
Why should I, or any American, after 7 years of Democrat destruction at the hands of the Obama Administration,..now entrust America's future,..to another Democrat?
Why risk it, when we have Cruz, Rubio,Carson, Kasich, Christie,..and Paul,..all who have proven records as Conservative Republicans?
Answer;..We Shouldn't Risk It,..
The stakes,..are simply too high,..and there's no reason ,..no reason at all,..to believe Trump,..when he has no record ,..to back his claims.
Trump would no doubt argue that all his opponents have flipped and flopped on issues, and all are weak on immigration, and Amnesty. Indeed, attacking each other's Amnesty credentials was the main theme of the latest debate, but,..there's a difference .While they may not have perfect conservative records as Republicans,..they do,..unlike Trump,.. have proven conservative records ,..as Republicans,..
In truth, there is no such political animal ,as a perfect conservative. But, for basic, strong, conservative principles,..they all measure up,..their records prove it.
And,..as said before,..all of them,..would indeed make fine Presidents,..far better,..than any Democrat, to be sure.
And, all of them have far better and more consistent records as conservatives than the deceptive, self absorbed showman named Trump.
In truth, they all need to cease and desist ;..stop attacking each other's failures on Amnesty,..and immigration in general. Apart from Cruz, they have all failed on Amnesty,..including Reagan, for that matter. And, Cruz, while unflappable on Amnesty,..has other weaknesses ,..in other areas,..
They are all, still, good conservatives,..
But, they are not perfect,..nor can they ever be,..
In fact,..in all of recorded history,..there has been only one, true , perfect conservative,..
Who ran a three year campaign,..on a platform of peace, love, and the brotherhood of man,..
But,..in the end,..
He Lost,..
To a Man named,..Barabbas,..