Outspoken radio talk-show host Mike Gallagher was in Florence on Tuesday promoting his new book while simultaneously filling the airwaves with the kind of conservative talk that he does best.

His radio discussion while broadcasting from the parking lot of Palmetto Nissan proved that no one was safe from a jab from the right - even NASA, which successfully launched space shuttle Discovery that morning after some technical difficulties.

The accomplishment didn't impress Gallagher, who expressed disdain for an aging, troubled billion-dollar spacecraft put aloft by tax dollars that could be better spent elsewhere.

Gallagher is on a 25-city cross-country tour that has included some prominent stops such as Chicago, Boston and New York City while promoting his book, "Surrounded by Idiots: Fighting Liberal Lunacy in America," which chronicles the incessant battle between conservatives and liberals.

He said, however, trips to smaller locales such as Florence are important to help get his message down to the grassroots.

"No one really raises their eyebrows when you go to Chicago," he said. "This is the best kind of stop. This is the heartland and really what the Mike Gallagher show is all about."

Gallagher recently waged his own personal battle with his waistline and won after shedding 70 unwanted pounds, an issue also addressed in his book.

"It's just about waking up one day and deciding you're going to do it," he said. "You have to cut back your portions. I did it with the (Weight Watchers) point system. If you want a Big Mac, just know that you're going to eat up 14 points. The weight just kind of fell off."

On the national scene, Gallagher said he's eager to see what will happen not only with the recent Supreme Court nomination of U.S. Circuit Judge John Roberts Jr., but others that might be in the wings assuming other justices decide to step down in the near future.

"It's going to be one of the most important issues of our lifetime," he said. "I think Roberts is going to sail through. The guy's got no paper trail and he's the perfect candidate. From my perspective, he's a 100 percenter on conservative issues so I think he's a great call."

Above all, Gallagher said, the most important issue of our time is the war with terror.

Even so, he also does his best to keep show topics occasionally lighthearted.

"When we saw what happened in London we're reminded that this very well could, if not will, happen here again," he said. "Having said that, I'd like the show to be about balance. I don't want it to be all gloom and doom."

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