20061129 Mazel Tov Glückwunsch to Stephanie Ammar and Maryam

Mazel Tov Glückwunsch and Congratulations to Stephanie, Ammar and Maryam

November 29, 2006

Please join me in celebrating with fellow Maryland Alliance Blogger and writer, Stephanie Dray, over at “Joisting for Justice” on the publication of one of her latest works of fiction, “Somewhere, Sometime on the Nile,” in “Paradox, The Magazine of Historical and Speculative Fiction.”

This month’s issue of the magazine features “cover art … inspired by (her) story.” No confirmation has been obtained as to whether or not she modeled for the art, however, for right now, pictured above are members of the Maryland Blogger Alliance carrying Ms. Dray in the Royal Egyptian Lectica for the day…

As a matter of fact she is on a roll; another piece she wrote that would be of interest is, “Pelosi Rejects Both Harman and Hastings for Chairmanship
Madam Speaker-Elect Seeks a Third Way.”

And oh, as far as a sandwich choice for Gov.-elect Martin O’Malley, a crab, fish sandwich or especially a veggie sandwich would have been appropriate. I think that they all ought to eat more calming and soothing vegetables down there in Annapolis and wash it down with decaf coffee.

From one writer to another - félicitations. Invest the checks in good health.

Kevin

20061126 Pelosi, Pea Soup, Solyent Green, Setting Hair on Fire

Pelosi, Pea Soup, Solyent Green, Setting Hair on Fire, and the meaning of life in an Age of Global Warming.

Pelosi's message to voters? Ethics, shmethics

November 26th, 2006

It is one of those series of “way too weird” moments that only can happen in the Internet age – or to an attention deficit hyperactive blogger with a serious internet surfing habit; however, grazing the net several days ago I came across an interesting column by Martin Schram. I said to myself; “Self, this would be a great “Other Voices” piece in the Carroll County Times, to give the paper a bit of balance.”

Several days later, whoa - there it was, in the Carroll County Times, Saturday, November 25th, 2006 edition of “Other Voices.”

It was then that I remembered that “Seph’s Mom” wants her to write:

“How about a nice controversial article like the reigning Dem Nancy Pelossi…”

Ms. Dray then interjects: “She's not even a reigning reindeer until January.”

“… who wanted to clean upthe culture of corruption- and plans to appoint afederal judge who was impeached and removed forbribery and corruption!!!”

Ms. Dray writes: “Congress can't appoint judges--that's the President's job. You must be talking about Representative Alcee Hastings, who used to be a judge but was impeached for corruption. His impeachment apparently convinced the morons in his district to elect him to Congress instead….”

Please see the rest of the post: “Can't We Get Through Christmas Before The Wurlitzer Starts Up?” It is a very bright conversation about Speaker-elect Pelosi, Senator John Kerry, Representative Alcee Hastings and more. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

To be sure, I can’t agree enough that it would be nice to get a break before the next Congress convenes - - and especially before the Maryland General Assembly Opera gets cranking up next January.

I’m glad that I am not the only one who gets advice as to what to put on the blog and what not too. Between the blogs and the columns I write, I get lots of advice…

I so wanted to help Ms. Dray out and write a scathing retort about “Nancy Pelosi’s Reign of Error,” (sub-titled: “The Pending Pelosian Malthusian Prerogative.”) And I just could not bring myself to do it. The Speaker of the House-elect makes my milk curdle and my blood boil. (See post script below.)

In an unguarded moment, combine Representative Pelosi in the same paragraph with Senator John Kerry and I go into spastic convulsions, for which Father Lankester Merrin is needed immediately. My head spins and I spew split pea soup.

(Speaking of pea soup is there any truth to the rumor that former Vice-president Al Gore’s sequel to “An Inconvenient Truth” is “Global Warming and Solyent Green - the Halliburton solution?” That Speaker-elect Pelosi wants to make the rich into Solyent Green to actually feed the middle class – after she nationalizes their banks accounts. Remember, “Solyent Green is people” and one of the reasons for the need for Solyent Green was global warming…)

Imagine Al Gore as Charlton Heston …!? … As he searches for "What is the secret of Solyent Green...



So, anyway, Ms. Dray – and her Mom, gets a pass from me. I’ll let Mr. Schram have the honors.

Mr. Schram writes for the Scripps Howard News Service: “Veteran newsman Martin Schram focuses on the intersection of the news media, policy and politics.” His columns appear on Tuesdays.

His column last Tuesday, November 21st, 2006 was titled, “Pelosi's message to voters? Ethics, shmethics ” – [0.7742 SCHRAM-11-21-06 2006/11/21 13:16:02 Editorials and Opinion 776 words By MARTIN SCHRAM]

Last Saturday, it appeared in the Carroll County Times as: “Dems have ethics shortfalls too,” By Martin Schram, Other Voices, Saturday, November 25, 2006

The slug on the Scripps Howard web site reads:

“Some hail as unprecedented the manner in which California Democrat Nancy Pelosi has chosen to begin her surefire reign as the first woman ever to be speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. But they have forgotten Ralph Perk. They have forgott...”

Picking up exactly where the slug stops, a bit more of the column goes like this:

“…en the 1970s day when Cleveland's erstwhile mayor sought to enliven an otherwise humdrum dedication of a new construction project by cutting the ribbon not with a boring scissors but with a blowtorch - and set his own hair on fire…”

OMG, with a column that begins like this, it quickly becomes “must read” material. Go here to read the rest. You will not regret the time…

I gotta go. All this keyboarding has made me hungry for some Purée Mongole - extra rich and creamy. Soon to be a specialty of the Dems’ cafeteria in the RHOB.

Kevin

POST SCRIPT:

Oh I wish that “Joisting for Justice” was not a Maryland Blogger Alliance member. I so wanted to write a scathing retort about “Nancy Pelosi’s Reign of Error.” And I just could not bring myself to do it. The Speaker of the House-elect makes my milk curdle and my blood boil.

Not that I will not disagree with a fellow MBA member. But I wanted to project some frustration and make it really snarky.

But alas, just as when I cover the Maryland General Assembly Opera; in spite of the fact that I so enjoy media criticism, what goes on with my colleagues in the downstairs press room, stays in the press room and I try to give the colleagues, with whom I work, a wide berth and some comfort to not have some snitch looking over their shoulders and swiping at their coverage.

Besides the opera that is what we know as that august legislative body, the worst in the nation, gives me plenty to write about - - and the folks in the press room in the Annapolis Statehouse are really neat and extraordinarily talented.

So, anyway, Ms. Dray – and her Mom, gets a pass. I’ll let Mr. Schram have the honors.

20061126 Analyze The Democrat Promise

Analyze The Democrat Promise

November 26th, 2006

Hat Tip: Grammy

UPDATE: (Nov. 27th, 2006) Be sure to take note of the Pilliage Idiot's post - "Now they tell us!"

Another e-mail of wisdom passed on to me from “The Grammy.” It may cause one to stop and ponder the future under the next Congress – with a Democratic leadership.

The Democrats promised "A New Direction For America - Vote Democratic"

The stock market is at a new all-time high and America's 401K's are back.
A new direction from there means, what?

Unemployment is at 25 year lows.
A new direction from there means, what?

Oil prices are plummeting.
A new direction from there means, what?

Taxes are at 20 year lows.
A new direction from there means, what?

Federal tax revenues are at all-time highs.
A new direction from there means, what?

The Federal deficit is down almost 50%, just as predicted over last year.
A new direction from there means, what?

Home valuations are up 200% over the past 3.5 years.
A new direction from there means, what?

Inflation is in check, hovering at 20 year lows.
A new direction from there means, what?

Not a single terrorist attack on US soil since 9/11/01.
A new direction from there means, what?

Osama bin Laden is living under a rock in a dark cave, having not surfaced in years, if he's alive at all, while 95% of Al Queda's top dogs are either dead or in custody, cooperating with US Intel.
A new direction from there means, what?

Several major terrorist attacks already thwarted by US and British Intel, including the recent planned attack involving 10 Jumbo Jets being exploded in mid-air over major US cities in order to celebrate the anniversary of the 9/11/01 attacks.
A new direction from there means, what?

Just as President Bush foretold us on a number of occasions, Iraq was to be made "ground zero" for the war on terrorism -- and just as President Bush said they would, terrorist cells from all over the region are arriving from the shadows of their hiding places and flooding into Iraq in order to get their faces blown off by US Marines rather than boarding planes and heading to the United States to wage war on us here.
A new direction from there means, what?

Now let me see, do I have this right? I can expect:

The economy to go South
Taxes to go Up
Employment to go Down
Terrorism to come In
Tax breaks to go Out
Health Care to go the same way gas prices have gone
[…]

But what the heck !

I can gain comfort by knowing that Nancy P, Hillary C, John K, Edward K, Howard D, Harry R and Obama have worked hard to create a comprehensive National Security Plan, Health Care Plan, Immigration Reform Plan, Gay Rights Plan, Same Sex Marriage Plan, Abortion On Demand Plan, Tolerance of Everyone and Everything Plan, How to Return all Troops to the U.S. in The Next Six Months Plan, A Get Tough Plan, adapted from the French Plan by the same name and a How Everyone Can Become as Wealthy as We Are Plan. I forgot the No More Katrina Storm Plan.

Now I know why I feel good after the elections.

I am going to be able to sleep soooooo much better at nights knowing these dedicated politicians are thinking of me and my welfare.

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20061119 Nancy Pelosi vows to knock some heads

Nancy Pelosi vows to knock some heads

November 19th, 2006

Nov. 15, 2006 (Rhoiders) Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi, seen here as she approached a Democratic caucus meeting, has vowed to knock some heads after her set-back in the choice of her rival MD Rep. Steny Hoyer for the No. 2 House leadership post.**

Hoyer Claims No 'Bad Blood' With Pelosi

By HOPE YEN, The Associated Press, Sunday, November 19, 2006; 3:24 PM

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Steny Hoyer acknowledged Sunday he was seeking assurances from incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi that she would not retaliate against his supporters after he won the No. 2 House leadership post.

Hoyer, D-Md., insisted there was "no bad blood" with Pelosi after she publicly supported Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania for the job of majority leader. Hoyer said he was confident Pelosi would not punish House colleagues who voted 149-86 last week to make Hoyer the majority leader when Democrats take control in January…

OMG, I simply could not imagine a vindictive unpleasant Speaker-elect Pelosi. Whatever would make Representative Hoyer think that?

I really appreciated Crablaw, peering out from beneath the dust of the construction work taking place on his site, to call to our attention yet another wonderful moment of irreverence by the fearless leader of the Maryland Blogger Alliance, Attila, of the Pillage Idiot:

Pillage Idiot Takes On Pelosi and the New Democratic Congress Attila - perhaps the least likely satirist on the Maryland web to be smacked with the label "politically correct" - takes on the incoming Democratic majority and Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi. posted by Bruce Godfrey at 11/18/2006 10:40:00 AM PERMALINK

But first; Crablaw, I liked your old site, so what is your site going to look like when you are finished with the “UNDER CONSTRUCTION?”

Meanwhile, I thoroughly enjoyed “Nancy Pelosi rearranges the House,” and you will too. Go check it out.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA. www.thetentacle.com Westminster Eagle Opinion and Winchester Report www.thewestminstereagle.com www.kevindayhoff.com has moved to http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

**I need to acknowledge, once again, that the inspiration of this “PillageShop” is the Pillage Idiot and in a circumspect manner, Jousting For Justice’s recent post: “…And this is how I feel.”

20061115 There is always plenty to laugh about

There is always plenty to laugh about

November 15^th, 2006

The only alternative is to cry…

Hat Tip: Mrs. Owl

No matter Republican or Democrat, now that elections are over, the late night talk show hosts can always find humor in politics.

From Daniel Kurtzman,

Your Guide to Political Humor.

"This week, on Tuesday night, in an ironic turnaround, Iraq brought regime change to the U.S." --Amy Poehler

"President Bush held a news conference where he vowed to work with the new Democratic majority, which, if true, can mean only one thing: the Democrats have a nuclear bomb." --Amy Poehler

"What a day for the Democrats. They've won the House of Representatives, they are poised to take the Senate as well, Donald Rumsfeld has resigned, and this just in, Dick Cheney came out as gay." --Jon Stewart

"Even though the Republican lost big on Tuesday, they've been busy all day in Washington. They’ve been spending all day packing up their bribe money." –David Letterman

"Dennis Hastert is no longer Speaker of the House. Don't worry about Dennis. He's going to be the new before-guy for Jenny Craig." –David Letterman

"The new Speaker of the House is Nancy Pelosi. She had lunch today with President Bush, but the lunch honestly did not go well. She would not pass him anything he asked for." –David Letterman

"It's ironic because Republicans always wanted to appeal to minorities. Now they are one." --Jay Leno

"It has not been a good week for the Republicans. This election was kind of like a bad divorce –- they got rejected, insulted, and lost the House." –Jay Leno

"Here in California, the voters overwhelmingly decided they do not want Arnold Schwarzenegger to ever make another movie." --Jay Leno

"The only Republican now with a mandate is Congressman Mark Foley." --Jay Leno

"There were many reports of problems with the voting machines yesterday, especially with touch-screen voting machines. In fact, in Congressman Mark Foley's district, some of the machines were touched inappropriately." --Conan O'Brien

"Big, big win for the Democrats. Senator Hillary Clinton's overwhelming victory has fueled speculation that she will run for president in 2008. In other words, there was some good news for Republicans." --Conan O'Brien

"Today in Florida, on the last day of campaigning, a Republican politician refused to appear in public with President Bush because the president is so unpopular. And it's worse than it sounds, because the politician was former Congressman Mark Foley." --Conan O'Brien

"They say they don't need to rely on any last minute surprises, since their Republican base is still very strong, very active, and they still have all the voting machines rigged." --Jimmy Kimmel

"Democrats are favored to win most races. As a matter of fact, the only Republican in Washington whose seat is safe is Lincoln." --David Letterman

"During the election, do you know what Vice President Dick Cheney will be doing? He's going spend the day hunting at his lodge in South Dakota. That's the one place you want to be if the Republicans lose -- Cheney with a gun." --Jay Leno

"President Bush warned Democrats not to celebrate too early. This is from the guy who put up the 'Mission Accomplished' sign three years ago." --Jay Leno

"How about this John Kerry controversy? So he's out there in California, tells some kind of joke and it backfires. He's saying he botched the joke. ... This guy can lose elections he's not even in." --David Letterman

"Senator John Kerry gave his opponents in the struggling Republican Party a much needed distraction when he told a college audience on Monday that if you don't do well in school, you might get stuck in Iraq. Some people are taking that as a slam against our troops. Kerry says it was a botched joke about the president being dumb. It doesn't bode well when you try to make a joke about someone being dumb and you wind up looking even dumber." --Jimmy Kimmel

"It's interesting. The president's approval rating is at an all-time low, North Korea's setting off bombs, Iraq is a mess, the Foley scandal keeps getting worst. Even the Democrats might not be able to blow this election." --Jay Leno

"The election is three weeks away and there are rumors the Republicans are getting ready for an election night disaster, which would be a first -- a disaster they were actually prepared for." --Bill Maher

"Tuesday is Election Day. ... In California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is so confident of being re-elected that he's groping women again." --David Letterman

"This is a bleak time for the Republican Party. You know you have trouble when the least embarrassing guy in your group is Arnold Schwarzenegger." --Jimmy Kimmel

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20061115 Scott Ott weighs in on Representative Murtha

Scott Ott weighs in on Representative Murtha

Priceless

Pelosi Backs Murtha, Cites Ethics Experience

by Scott Ott

(2006-11-15) — House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi today defended her decision to back Rep. Jack Murtha, D-PA, as the next House Majority Leader, citing his extensive ethics experience as crucial to her efforts to “clean up the House.”

“Jack Murtha knows corruption inside and out,” said Rep. Pelosi, D-CA. “If we’re going to purge misconduct from our midst, we need someone intimately familiar with it.”

Read the rest here. Yes, it gets even better…

Be sure to click on the “knows corruption” link…



Oh and remember, here’s how “How Dems Store Their Bribes” and “Temper Fi


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20061108 Ole Luke, Get used to this face and now what?

Ole Luke, Get used to this face and now what?

November 8^th, 2006

Get used to this face. Hat Tip: Kujanblog

And one face that you will not be seeing much of…

He won't seek the minority leader post. Hat Tip Breitbart.com and Michelle Malkin.

Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., stepping down is another step in the correct direction for clearing the decks to work with the Democratic majority in Congress.

For a conservative political columnist, the next two years will be a field day. I’ve already looked into purchasing a larger hard drive for my laptop.

Sooooo - now that the Dems are in power, it will be interesting to see what they will do with their new-found responsibilities.

White House spokesman Tony Snow said the outcome of the elections, in which Democrats were projected to win control of the House and pick up several Senate seats, was "not what we would've hoped."

"But it also gets us to a point: Democrats have spent a lot of time complaining about what the president has done. This is an opportunity for them to kind of stand up," Snow said. (Reuters. Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin.)

I love to tell the story of once, as a young lad, I was riding around the farm with my Grandfather – “Pop-Pop,” in an old blue Chevy pick-up truck. Ole’ Luke, the family farm dog was running along the truck and raising a ruckus.

All of the sudden, Pop-Pop stopped the truck. I asked Pop-Pop: “Why are we stopping?”

At that, Pop-Pop responded, “I want to show you what a farm dog will do when he catches a truck.”

Ole’ Luke circled the truck several times, barking and barking the entire time. Then Luke sniffed the tires. Then he peed on the tires and walked away.

We certainly hope that the Democrats will do better than Ole’ Luke – or do we?

As we turn our attention to the 2008 presidential elections, the Dems may consider a thoughtful approach. Hearing and hearing after hearing, sprinkled with tax increases, will set the Republicans up for a great chance at the White House in 2008.

So just what will the Democratic priorities be in the upcoming session of Congress?

The Associated Press gives us the following glimpse. Hey – AP, the campaign literature office of the Democrats, ought to know… So, consider this to be straight from the source.

Hat Tip: Breitbart.com and Michelle Malkin

Democratic Priorities in Congress
Nov 08 2:12 PM US/Eastern

By The Associated Press Some priorities set by Democrats in Congress:

_Military: Force an immediate drawdown of troops in Iraq and conduct oversight hearings on missteps on the war. The announcement Wednesday that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was resigning met Democratic demands that he step down to take responsibility for the situation in Iraq.

_Intelligence: Increase attention given to emerging terrorist threats in Africa and Southeast Asia and devote more resources to North Korea and Iran. More oversight of terrorism and government surveillance.

_Homeland security: Boost security for rail and mass transit systems. Tougher oversight of the Department of Homeland Security, potential restructuring of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

_Judiciary: Conduct oversight hearings on treatment of terrorism detainees, domestic surveillance programs and President Bush's use of "signing statements" affecting some requirements in the laws he signs.

_Minimum wage. Pass legislation to raise the minimum wage from the current $5.15 an hour to $7.25.

_Veterans affairs: Increase oversight with detailed budget accountings. More funding for veterans' health care, including additional mental health counseling for vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

_Health: Allow the Medicare program to negotiate directly with drug companies for lower prices. Pass a vetoed embryonic stem cell research bill again. Require insurance companies to provide benefits for treating mental illnesses equal to other medical and surgical benefits.

_Transportation: Consolidate air traffic control facilities. Allow more foreign control of airlines. Limit the number of Transportation Security Administration airport screeners to 45,000. More oversight hearings on the Federal Aviation Administration.

_Taxes: Increase education-based tax breaks. Close the so-called $345 billion tax gap, the estimated amount that people and companies owe but avoid paying each year.

_Trade: Let a law expire that forbids Congress from amending trade agreements negotiated by the president. Create a chief enforcement officer in the office of the U.S. trade representative.

_Energy and environment: Increase incentives for biodiesel, ethanol and other alternative fuels as well as wind, solar, geothermal and other sources of alternative energy. Renegotiate oil and gas leases that waived royalty payments to the government. Impose a national cap on industrial carbon dioxide emissions. Resist Bush's efforts to open more public lands to oil exploration.

_Agriculture: Increase conservation programs and require more corn- based ethanol in motor fuel blends.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA. E-mail him at: kdayhoff@carr.org www.thetentacle.com Westminster Eagle Opinion and Winchester Report www.thewestminstereagle.com www.kevindayhoff.com has moved to http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

20061108 ScrappleFace says Pelosi will let president keep his wife

ScrappleFace says Pelosi will let president keep his wife

November 8^th, 2006

Go here to subscribe to ScrappleFace updates. You’ll be glad that you did.

Meanwhile, conservatives across the nation are happy that the presumptive Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, will let the president keep his wife, in return for the resignation of the Secretary of Defense, Donald H. Rumsfeld.

Sources reveal that when delivered the ultimatum, from soon-to-be Speaker Pelosi - the “uniter, not a divider;” the president did not hesitate to say that he wanted to keep his wife.

Scott Ott weighs-in here:

Rumsfeld Quits, Pelosi May Let Cheney, Laura Stay

by Scott Ott

(2006-11-08) — President George Bush today, in an effort to find common ground with presumptive House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, accepted the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, but said he has no immediate plans to replace either Vice President Dick Cheney or First Lady Laura Bush.

“The people have spoken,” said Mr. Bush, “they want a new direction for America. Don Rumsfeld is a friend, and an excellent Secretary of Defense, but he’s old. So he’s gone. I hope this appeases Speaker Pelosi..cause I’d sure miss Cheney and Laura.”

The president named Texas A & M President Robert Gates to replace Mr. Rumsfeld, but White House officials were tight-lipped about who might be on the short list of potential replacements for the vice president or First Lady.

20061024 ScrappleFace says Drop the course

ScrappleFace says “Drop the course”

October 25^th, 2006 by Kevin Dayhoff

For those who do not read ScrappleFace, (“News fairly unbalanced. We report. You decipher.,”) Mr. Scott Ott has an uncanny ability of encapsulating a complex issue in several short paragraphs. ScrappleFace should be on the must read list for political junkies – who know the issues AND have a sense of humor.

I happen to be one of the “critics who say Democrat war policy consists of little more than attacks on President George Bush…”

To be certain, I happen to NOT feel that to criticize the president is un-American or unpatriotic. Quite to the contrary. It is a cherished right and we should all defend the rights of critics to say what they want to say.

However, their rights are our rights also – and I reserve the right to criticize folks who are criticizing the president for purely superficial political reasons. Such criticism lacks integrity and creditability.

In an era when everyone wants to talk about their rights, no one seems to talking about the responsibilities that are a critical part of those “rights.”

When a national leader or even a local community leader or columnist offers-up criticism on such a basic national security issue; please offer a reality-based thoughtful plan.

Criticisms which personally attack the president’s character uttered in the same paragraph are usually automatically dismissed as cheap partisan-politics of the worst order and are never mistaken for statespersonship; which is the hallmark of venerable leaders, who words, deeds and actions easily transcend the moral relativism and situational ethics that pervades much of such criticism. (Read: when President Bill Clinton did the same thing or failed to do what the critics say President Bush should do…that’s okay…)

In the month before our mid-term elections, the violence in Iraq has reached unbearable proportions. Why? Because the jihadists are aware that if the advocates of “cut and run” in Iraq prevail in the upcoming US elections, the US will perhaps leave the country and Iraq will be the Afghanistan after the Soviet forces vacated in 1989. Instead of helping the country re-build, we ignored it. In 1994, 10,000 people were killed in Kabul alone.

One example which makes me bristle is the thought that we need to engage in multi-lateral talks with countries such as Syria and Iran, about the future of Iraq.

Please tell me such suggestions are a joke. Syria and Iran have no interest in democracy in Iraq. To be sure, they would like to see a stable Iraq. A stable extreme Islamic Republic that is.

The concept of a stable Iraq for Iran and Syria would resemble the Taliban government which took over in Afghanistan in 1996. So, please tell, just what, pray tell, are going to talk with Syria and Iran about?

In my latest Tentacle column, “When It Rains Frogs,” I said: “And, let's be clear, the war in Iraq is getting old and increasingly looking like a never-ending quagmire. It is time for the Iraqis to assume responsibility for their future and it needs to happen yesterday. But the alternative is not to cut and run and leave Iraq to become like Afghanistan was in the 1990s after the Soviets withdrew. It then became a terrorist training ground, with results that we continue to confront. At this point, most everyone, liberal or conservative can agree that it is time to be looking for a defined exit strategy.”

To “stay the course,” is no longer tenable, as it has been defined as continuing our current approach until hell freezes over or the jihadists give up. The conflict has evolved into something never considered when we first when in to do away with the murderous regime of Saddam Hussein. Now that the conflict has evolved, our approach needs to evolve.

But “dropping the course” is not an option.

Democrats Unveil Iraq War Strategy: ‘Drop the Course’

by Scott Ott

(2006-10-24) — Just two weeks out from national elections, Democrats today unveiled the Iraq war strategy they will force the president to implement when they control Congress.

In an effort to answer critics who say Democrat war policy consists of little more than attacks on President George Bush, presumptive House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, held a news conference to explain the new strategy, dubbed “Drop the Course” as a counterpoint to the president’s often-maligned “Stay the Course.”

“Victory isn’t always about winning,” said Rep. Pelosi. “Those of us who went to college know that sometimes when the going gets tough, the tough drop out. Who among us hasn’t experienced the exhilaration of walking out of the registrar’s office after dropping a course you were failing. America deserves to have that feeling again.”

Asked to respond to the Democrats “Drop the Course” plan, Mr. Bush said, “I guess if you see freedom and national security as electives, that make sense.”

The president added that the new plan didn’t surprise him, “since the Democrats so often cut the class, it was inevitable they’d drop the course.”

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