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Watch Cafferty video: Funding the War

Is it fair to tie funding for the war in Iraq to a deadline for pulling out the troops?
The Bush administration's strategy has been to hold the troops hostage and demand funding to protect them. Which extortion strategy is worse?
Jeff, Carmel, New York

It is most definitely fair. We cannot fund the war indefinitely and the best way to support the troops is by bringing them home to their families.
Marty, Douglas, Arizona

Jack, It is a tough call. Was it fair that we were told the war was about WMD? Was it fair to all those who have served so bravely? Is it fair to those who lost their lives? Does it make any sense to throw anymore lives and money into this hellhole?
Kay, Naples, Florida

What does it mean when almost half of college students binge drink or abuse drugs?
My college son tells me the same thing. After nearly 6 years in college (going for a double major) he has seen the shift from a little pot and a lot of drinking to regular binge drinking and a broad use of pills of all kinds. They get them from all sources: family, prescriptions, online... sometimes emptying them into a bowl or plate and just randomly picking them and washing them down with a drink.
Charlotte, Monticello, Arkansas

It means that nothing has changed in American colleges and universities for innumerable decades or since Jack was young.
Drew, Fairfax, Virginia

I'm surprised that the numbers of students binge drinking and abusing drugs isn't actually higher. When I was in college in the late '80s and early '90s, we always lied on those sorts of surveys. No one wanted to let the 'man' know what we were doing, and certainly didn't trust the university administration with that sort of information.
Brian, Chicago, Illinois

The answer to your question is "nothing." These are kids of Boomers. And what were we doing in college in the 70's?
Rick, Golden, Colorado

How can Senator John McCain recapture his maverick reputation?
I lost all respect for Senator McCain when he caved on the detainee/torture bill. He had it stopped but went back on his principles.
Jim, Southborough, Massachusetts

John McCain has followed the Hillary book of political makeovers. Both are saying what they think powerful voting blocks want to hear, and have left behind their independent integrity. Just as Hillary should be honest enough to proudly proclaim her compassionate liberalism, McCain should return to being the honest and independent maverick that gained him his following in the first place.
John

Try dropping out of the presidential race. With his stance on illegal aliens, there is no way I would vote for him.
Mike, Sebring, Florida

McCain needs to shut up and go home; he's over!
Peggy, El Dorado Springs, Missouri

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How much does it matter to you if a politician says he doesn't believe in God?
Jack, What I care about is whether or not they believe in the Constitution of the United States. Their religious beliefs are their business, not mine.
Bea, Clifton Forge, Virginia

If you don't believe in God or "some higher power," what do you believe in? Where do your moral values come from? This country was founded on a deep belief in God. Our greatness, our knowledge of right or wrong come from that belief. The further we move away from our foundation the closer we come to the things that have destroyed all great nations throughout history.
William, Bronx, New York

Who gives a rat's behind if he does or does not believe in a higher power? I don't care as long as he is a halfway honest man and does not lead my kids into a trumped up war that bogs us down like Vietnam or worse. Pres. Bush believes in God and look what a right mess he has created.
T., Texas

Honestly, I don't think it should matter what a politician should believe in. As long as he has good moral standards then I would vote for him.
Megan, Alfred, New York

Have checks and balances made a comeback in Washington?
Thankfully, yes. A long, long overdue comeback. The Constitution is what makes America great. It's about time these elected and appointed officials start doing their jobs and defend the Constitution. I believe they took an oath to that effect.
Todd, Oxford, Michigan

Checks and balances are not restored with regard to the most critical current issue: the American people gave the Democrats control of Congress because they want an end to the war in Iraq. The Democrats seem almost impotent on this issue.
Eric, Portland, Maine

Checks and balances? What is that? That sounds like one of those old terms they used to teach us like "Constitution" or "right to privacy." Forgive me while I check my old poli-sci books to get a refresher on that one.
Matt, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Should Al Gore run for president?
Yes! My hope is that Obama and Clinton sink each other so that Gore steps in to win the nomination and the election.
Angela, Laurel, Maryland

Short and sweet: no way. He's had his chance and the American citizens said "no."
Imogene, Roanoke, Virginia

Of course Gore should run. If he doesn't want to, he should be drafted by the Democratic Convention. After all, we all know that he really won in 2000; he certainly won the popular vote. And his reputation has gone up from his activities since then. Gore for President!
Al

Yes I do think Gore should run for president in 2008. From the way things are going in this country, he well might be a shoo-in. The only decent guy running for the Republicans (if he ever decides to) is Hagel. That would be a very interesting campaign if both these guys would get in the contest.
Pat, Deckerville, Michigan

Justice emails come to light
Dozens of emails released Tuesday by the House Judiciary Committee offer a window into a more than two-year process to replace U.S. Attorneys. Click here to read the e-mails that show how officials the White House and the Justice Department coordinated on deciding who to fire and when to do it.

Campaigns go green
First it was former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack. Now John Edwards is trying to combat Global Warming by announcing that he is making his campaign "carbon neutral." Perhaps taking a cue from Al Gore, more and more presidential candidates are making sure their campaigns are "carbon-friendly." (Watch the video)

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What's your reaction to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff calling homosexual acts "immoral"?
I find it rather hypocritical that General Pace, a man who for all intents and purposes is paid (by MY tax dollars) to kill others, has the audacity to call homosexuality immoral. The last time I checked, "Thou shall not love your gay husband" was not a commandment. But "Thou shall not kill" is. If General Pace wants to question morality, he should first take a hard look in the mirror.
John, Gaithersburg, Maryland

As long as he does nothing in his official capacity to implement that belief it makes no diff. At least he is being honest. Most of them think that way and say nothing.
Michael, Hot Springs, Arkansas

I support Gen. Pace 100%. He has brass in unmentionable places. We need more people that will stand up front and center
Ralph, Beckley, West Virginia

Does he think that insulting hundreds of thousands of service people (past & present) is good for morale? Bigotry really does make people stupid. This guy is an idiot. There are gay men and women fighting and dying in Iraq and he felt the need to insult them.
Michael, Plymouth, Massachusetts

I laughed. Either he is getting double pay to divert the U.S. public from the Walter Reed scandal and Iraq or he's a bit naive.
Nancy, Missoula, Montana

What does it mean when almost half of U.S. workers live from paycheck to paycheck?
Having over half of all Americans living paycheck to paycheck is proof that the "Bush robust economy" does not exist. I never thought I would long for the Reagan years, but this is worse than the "trickle-down" economy.
Tony, Northfield, Minnesota

It means that the wage depressing effects of illegal immigration have hit the Middle Class pocket book harder than almost anybody realizes.
Bert, Oak View, California

It simply means that the War on the Middle Class is the only war this government can successfully pursue. It has already failed in the War in Iraq, the War on Terror, the War on Poverty, and the War on Drugs.
Ed, Virginia City, Virginia

What will it take to unite the Republican Party?
I presently know of only one person that may have a chance of saving any of us, including the Republicans, and that is General Powell.
W. G., Laguna Woods, California

Eight years of Democrat rule will get the Republicans back in control. Neither national party is presently worth a damn!
Ben, Sheridan, Arkansas

Effective leadership replete with honorable virtues, defensible policies, and studied flexibility. This would not only unite the Republican Party, but our country as well. It's been a while.
Phillip, Atlanta, Georgia

YouTube troubles
Viacom, the parent company of MTV and Comedy Central, has filed a $1 billion lawsuit against Google and its subsidiary YouTube for copyright infringement. According to Viacom's complaint (PDF), nearly 160,000 unauthorized clips of Viacom's programming, ranging from "The Daily Show" to "Spongebob Squarepants," have been available on YouTube and viewed more than 1.5 billion times.

Campaigning to end the war
Tomorrow the Senate will vote to begin debate on a new Democratic resolution that would begin redeploying troops from Iraq in just four months. The resolution is co-sponsored by Senators Harry Reid, Joe Biden, and Carl Levin. But Biden is also running for President, and his campaign has launched a new Web site, endingthewar.com, to drum up support for the resolution.

McCain madness
It's March Madness time, and Republican Presidential candidate John McCain is going public with his NCAA basketball tournament picks. In a unique move, the Senator from Arizona is hosting a March Madness contest on his campaign Web site. His prediction to win the championship? The University of North Carolina.

Watch "The Situation Room" at 4 PM, 5 PM, and 7 PM ET for these stories and more from our Internet reporters.

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In The Cafferty File today, we asked viewers:

Should Attorney General Alberto Gonzales resign?
Absolutely, along with the rest of the Bush/Cheney cabal. These jokers are out of touch, out of bounds, and out of their minds. They should all be brought up on charges.
Tom, Shorewood, Minnesota

Yes. Politicizing the justice system is something you expect in a banana republic, not in the United States. What next from this administration, brown shirts and goose stepping?
Ed, Texas

No, he should not resign. He should be fired, the way he fired federal prosecutors who failed to mix politics with justice. And not only fired, but indicted, too. It's time to clean house in the Bush Administration, and he's as good a crook to start with as any.
Rich

No, he should not be fired. He should be brought up on charges with the rest of this administration. We should be ashamed that we have allowed this to go on for these many years!
T.

Should local governments have jurisdiction over illegal immigrants?
Immigration is a national responsibility and should be controlled and regulated by federal laws. State and local communities must be allowed to enforce these federal laws in coordination with the federal authorities.
Roderick, North Attleboro, Massachusetts

When are the American people going to wake up and see that we as citizens sometimes have to take the law into our own hands because Bush has forgotten about us? Hooray for Hazleton.
Thomas, New Orleans, Louisiana

Local government should be allowed to do whatever it takes to protect honest citizens from crime and to keep services from becoming overwhelmed. If the federal government won't step up to the plate, then we shouldn't feel the least bit hesitant to do it at the local level.
Frances, New Jersey

Is a candidate's character more important than his position on the issues?
A candidate's character is equally important to his stand on the issues. Neither can be disregarded. We can no longer afford as a nation to ignore either.
Mary, Kalamazoo, Michigan

It makes me sad that Americans would rather have a president who has "good character" than a president who is intelligent. It makes me sick to think about the next election and whom our citizens will vote for.
Rikki, Riverview, Florida

Yes, Jack, character matters or why would they all get it just as they are getting ready to run for office?
Daniel, Florida

Issues are more important than character. Issues for the common man and woman, not corporations.
Gary, Austin, Texas

YouTube attacks
As the GOP Presidential frontrunners jostle for position and court conservative voters, many of their past statements are coming back to haunt them online. On Sunday, a YouTube video surfaced of Rudy Giuliani's 1989 comments in which he supports public funding for abortions. The video is not the only one accusing Giuliani of flip-flopping: a compilation of Giuliani sound bites was posted on YouTube last week in advance of a Washington speech to conservative activists. But Giuliani isn't the only Republican contender drawing heat. Two separate videos, one of Mitt Romney in 2002 and another from 1994, show the former Massachusetts governor expressing support for abortion rights. Senator John McCain hasn't escaped either -- one video shows the Arizona senator criticizing leaders of the religious right, leaders he has since reached out to for support. While many '08 hopefuls have YouTube channels with official campaign video content, it is often these anonymous videos digging deep into the past that garner the most attention.

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