Was Illinois the turning point in the Republican race?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
It's just about over.
While Mitt Romney didn't score a knockout in Illinois, to borrow a boxing metaphor, but he landed enough blows that his opponents may soon be unable to answer the bell for the next round.
And it's a bit ironic that the Republican primary fight may have been decided in the Democratic president's home state.
Romney's win was impressive – double digits and, in just about every exit poll category that was measured, save evangelicals and very conservative voters.
Rick Santorum's showing was far from impressive. He got little support from beyond his base. But more importantly, he showed again he is incapable of winning a large midwestern state. And there simply are not enough Louisianas, Alabamas and Mississippis to get him to the nomination.
Newt Gingrich finished dead last. He has now gone from contender to curiosity to nobody cares. He's toast.
Ron Paul, who may have the best set of ideas for solving some of our big problems, has just not been able to connect with enough voters to make a difference.
Finally, if Romney goes on to win the nomination, the Republican voters will have settled for the moderate in the middle. Sort of what the vast majority of this country has always been about. And his victory will be a slap in the face to the Tea Party.
Romney's now looking past these tune-up fights toward the big title bout in November, and the rest of the country is starting to do the same.
Here’s my question to you: Was Illinois the turning point in the Republican race?
Tune in to the Situation Room at 4pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.
And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.
Is the decline of American schools putting national security at risk?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
When you think about some of the greatest dangers facing this country's national security - al Qaeda, the Taliban, a ticking time bomb in Iran probably all come to mind.
But one that might not come to mind at first is our schools.
Public education is failing to do its job of educating our children, and that poses a grave danger to the security of our country long-term.
An independent task force launched by the Council on Foreign Relations is warning the U.S. education system is barreling toward "a national security crisis."
The chairs of the report - former New York City school system chancellor Joel Klein and Stanford professor Condoleezza Rice - former Secretary of State under President George W. Bush - say education failures pose several threats to our national security.
They include economic growth and competitiveness, U.S. physical safety and intellectual property.
Our students are not being prepared for the global work force.
The report highlights a Defense Department statistic that 75% of American youth don't qualify for the armed forces because of a lack of a high school diploma, obesity or a criminal record.
Among those who do qualify, 30% don't pass the military's aptitude test.
If we don't educate our young people so they can compete, we are doomed.
The task force recommends a "national security readiness audit" as one way to hold schools accountable.
Not everyone agrees with the report, including some members of the task force itself.
But it's no secret the quality of our public education has been in decline for quite some time.
Here’s my question to you: Is the decline of American schools putting national security at risk?
Tune in to the Situation Room at 5pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.
And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.
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