Bush Sr. Isn't Alone

I definitely think I like Bush Sr. a lot more as W's dad than as a president. I love the way he and Barbara are more offended by the Bush critics than President Bush is himself. It speaks so much to their family, character and loyalty.

So when I saw this article about Bush Sr. being upset about the level of media hostility towards his son I felt his pain. These comments made me smile:

"President George W. Bush's father accused the news media of "personal animosity" toward his son and said he found the criticism so unrelenting he sometimes talked back to his television set.

"It's one thing to have an adversarial ... relationship -- hard-hitting journalism -- it's another when the journalists' rhetoric goes beyond skepticism and goes over the line into overt, unrelenting hostility and personal animosity," former President George Bush said.

The elder Bush, the 41st U.S. president, had a relatively collegial relationship with the press but things turned sour during his losing 1992 re-election campaign. He got so fed up with media coverage that supporters at the time circulated hats with the slogan "Annoy the Media -- Re-Elect Bush."

To Bush Sr.:
You aren't alone! I talk back to the television set too, for the very same reasons ;-)!

President Bush Addresses the Nation

"Our success in this war is often measured by the things that did not happen."--President George W. Bush

First of all I have to give W credit for being such a big and gracious man. The kind words he gave to Pelosi was more than she or many other Democrats would've given to him and yet he gave them anyway. Here are some excerpts from the President's awesome speech:

Domestic Successes

"A future of hope and opportunity begins with a growing economy -- and that is what we have. We're now in the 41st month of uninterrupted job growth, in a recovery that has created 7.2 million new jobs -- so far. Unemployment is low, inflation is low, and wages are rising. This economy is on the move, and our job is to keep it that way, not with more government, but with more enterprise.

We set a goal of cutting the deficit in half by 2009, and met that goal three years ahead of schedule.

Spreading opportunity and hope in America also requires public schools that give children the knowledge and character they need in life. Five years ago, we rose above partisan differences to pass the No Child Left Behind Act, preserving local control, raising standards, and holding those schools accountable for results. And because we acted, students are performing better in reading and math, and minority students are closing the achievement gap."

New Domestic Proposals

"In the coming weeks, I will submit a budget that eliminates the federal deficit within the next five years. I ask you to make the same commitment. Together, we can restrain the spending appetite of the federal government, and we can balance the federal budget.

Next, there is the matter of earmarks. These special interest items are often slipped into bills at the last hour -- when not even C-SPAN is watching. (Laughter.) In 2005 alone, the number of earmarks grew to over 13,000 and totaled nearly $18 billion. Even worse, over 90 percent of earmarks never make it to the floor of the House and Senate -- they are dropped into committee reports that are not even part of the bill that arrives on my desk. You didn't vote them into law. I didn't sign them into law. Yet, they're treated as if they have the force of law. The time has come to end this practice. So let us work together to reform the budget process, expose every earmark to the light of day and to a vote in Congress, and cut the number and cost of earmarks at least in half by the end of this session.

And so tonight, I propose two new initiatives to help more Americans afford their own insurance. First, I propose a standard tax deduction for health insurance that will be like the standard tax deduction for dependents. Families with health insurance will pay no income on payroll tax -- or payroll taxes on $15,000 of their income. Single Americans with health insurance will pay no income or payroll taxes on $7,500 of their income. With this reform, more than 100 million men, women, and children who are now covered by employer-provided insurance will benefit from lower tax bills. At the same time, this reform will level the playing field for those who do not get health insurance through their job. For Americans who now purchase health insurance on their own, this proposal would mean a substantial tax savings -- $4,500 for a family of four making $60,000 a year. And for the millions of other Americans who have no health insurance at all, this deduction would help put a basic private health insurance plan within their reach. Changing the tax code is a vital and necessary step to making health care affordable for more Americans. (Applause.)

My second proposal is to help the states that are coming up with innovative ways to cover the uninsured. States that make basic private health insurance available to all their citizens should receive federal funds to help them provide this coverage to the poor and the sick. I have asked the Secretary of Health and Human Services to work with Congress to take existing federal funds and use them to create "Affordable Choices" grants. These grants would give our nation's governors more money and more flexibility to get private health insurance to those most in need.

There are many other ways that Congress can help. We need to expand Health Savings Accounts. (Applause.) We need to help small businesses through Association Health Plans. (Applause.) We need to reduce costs and medical errors with better information technology. (Applause.) We will encourage price transparency. And to protect good doctors from junk lawsuits, we passing medical liability reform. (Applause.) In all we do, we must remember that the best health care decisions are made not by government and insurance companies, but by patients and their doctors. (Applause.)

Achieving these ambitious goals will dramatically reduce our dependence on foreign oil, but it's not going to eliminate it. And so as we continue to diversify our fuel supply, we must step up domestic oil production in environmentally sensitive ways. (Applause.) And to further protect America against severe disruptions to our oil supply, I ask Congress to double the current capacity of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve."

Judges

"A future of hope and opportunity requires a fair, impartial system of justice. The lives of our citizens across our nation are affected by the outcome of cases pending in our federal courts. We have a shared obligation to ensure that the federal courts have enough judges to hear those cases and deliver timely rulings. As President, I have a duty to nominate qualified men and women to vacancies on the federal bench. And the United States Senate has a duty, as well, to give those nominees a fair hearing, and a prompt up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. (Applause.)"

The War on Terror

"For all of us in this room, there is no higher responsibility than to protect the people of this country from danger. Five years have come and gone since we saw the scenes and felt the sorrow that the terrorists can cause. We've had time to take stock of our situation. We've added many critical protections to guard the homeland. We know with certainty that the horrors of that September morning were just a glimpse of what the terrorists intend for us -- unless we stop them.

With the distance of time, we find ourselves debating the causes of conflict and the course we have followed. Such debates are essential when a great democracy faces great questions. Yet one question has surely been settled: that to win the war on terror we must take the fight to the enemy. (Applause.)

From the start, America and our allies have protected our people by staying on the offense. The enemy knows that the days of comfortable sanctuary, easy movement, steady financing, and free flowing communications are long over. For the terrorists, life since 9/11 has never been the same.

Our success in this war is often measured by the things that did not happen. We cannot know the full extent of the attacks that we and our allies have prevented, but here is some of what we do know: We stopped an al Qaeda plot to fly a hijacked airplane into the tallest building on the West Coast. We broke up a Southeast Asian terror cell grooming operatives for attacks inside the United States. We uncovered an al Qaeda cell developing anthrax to be used in attacks against America. And just last August, British authorities uncovered a plot to blow up passenger planes bound for America over the Atlantic Ocean. For each life saved, we owe a debt of gratitude to the brave public servants who devote their lives to finding the terrorists and stopping them. (Applause.)

Every success against the terrorists is a reminder of the shoreless ambitions of this enemy. The evil that inspired and rejoiced in 9/11 is still at work in the world. And so long as that's the case, America is still a nation at war.

In the mind of the terrorist, this war began well before September the 11th, and will not end until their radical vision is fulfilled. And these past five years have given us a much clearer view of the nature of this enemy. Al Qaeda and its followers are Sunni extremists, possessed by hatred and commanded by a harsh and narrow ideology. Take almost any principle of civilization, and their goal is the opposite. They preach with threats, instruct with bullets and bombs, and promise paradise for the murder of the innocent.

Our enemies are quite explicit about their intentions. They want to overthrow moderate governments, and establish safe havens from which to plan and carry out new attacks on our country. By killing and terrorizing Americans, they want to force our country to retreat from the world and abandon the cause of liberty. They would then be free to impose their will and spread their totalitarian ideology. Listen to this warning from the late terrorist Zarqawi: "We will sacrifice our blood and bodies to put an end to your dreams, and what is coming is even worse." Osama bin Laden declared: "Death is better than living on this Earth with the unbelievers among us."

These men are not given to idle words, and they are just one camp in the Islamist radical movement. In recent times, it has also become clear that we face an escalating danger from Shia extremists who are just as hostile to America, and are also determined to dominate the Middle East. Many are known to take direction from the regime in Iran, which is funding and arming terrorists like Hezbollah -- a group second only to al Qaeda in the American lives it has taken.

The Shia and Sunni extremists are different faces of the same totalitarian threat. Whatever slogans they chant, when they slaughter the innocent they have the same wicked purposes. They want to kill Americans, kill democracy in the Middle East, and gain the weapons to kill on an even more horrific scale.

In the sixth year since our nation was attacked, I wish I could report to you that the dangers had ended. They have not. And so it remains the policy of this government to use every lawful and proper tool of intelligence, diplomacy, law enforcement, and military action to do our duty, to find these enemies, and to protect the American people. (Applause.)

This war is more than a clash of arms -- it is a decisive ideological struggle, and the security of our nation is in the balance. To prevail, we must remove the conditions that inspire blind hatred, and drove 19 men to get onto airplanes and to come and kill us. What every terrorist fears most is human freedom

-- societies where men and women make their own choices, answer to their own conscience, and live by their hopes instead of their resentments. Free people are not drawn to violent and malignant ideologies -- and most will choose a better way when they're given a chance. So we advance our own security interests by helping moderates and reformers and brave voices for democracy. The great question of our day is whether America will help men and women in the Middle East to build free societies and share in the rights of all humanity. And I say, for the sake of our own security, we must. (Applause.)

In the last two years, we've seen the desire for liberty in the broader Middle East -- and we have been sobered by the enemy's fierce reaction. In 2005, the world watched as the citizens of Lebanon raised the banner of the Cedar Revolution, they drove out the Syrian occupiers and chose new leaders in free elections. In 2005, the people of Afghanistan defied the terrorists and elected a democratic legislature. And in 2005, the Iraqi people held three national elections, choosing a transitional government, adopting the most progressive, democratic constitution in the Arab world, and then electing a government under that constitution. Despite endless threats from the killers in their midst, nearly 12 million Iraqi citizens came out to vote in a show of hope and solidarity that we should never forget. (Applause.)

A thinking enemy watched all of these scenes, adjusted their tactics, and in 2006 they struck back. In Lebanon, assassins took the life of Pierre Gemayel, a prominent participant in the Cedar Revolution. Hezbollah terrorists, with support from Syria and Iran, sowed conflict in the region and are seeking to undermine Lebanon's legitimately elected government. In Afghanistan, Taliban and al Qaeda fighters tried to regain power by regrouping and engaging Afghan and NATO forces. In Iraq, al Qaeda and other Sunni extremists blew up one of the most sacred places in Shia Islam -- the Golden Mosque of Samarra. This atrocity, directed at a Muslim house of prayer, was designed to provoke retaliation from Iraqi Shia -- and it succeeded. Radical Shia elements, some of whom receive support from Iran, formed death squads. The result was a tragic escalation of sectarian rage and reprisal that continues to this day.

This is not the fight we entered in Iraq, but it is the fight we're in. Every one of us wishes this war were over and won. Yet it would not be like us to leave our promises unkept, our friends abandoned, and our own security at risk. (Applause.) Ladies and gentlemen: On this day, at this hour, it is still within our power to shape the outcome of this battle. Let us find our resolve, and turn events toward victory. (Applause.)

We're carrying out a new strategy in Iraq -- a plan that demands more from Iraq's elected government, and gives our forces in Iraq the reinforcements they need to complete their mission. Our goal is a democratic Iraq that upholds the rule of law, respects the rights of its people, provides them security, and is an ally in the war on terror."

The Consequences of a Cut & Run Strategy

"If American forces step back before Baghdad is secure, the Iraqi government would be overrun by extremists on all sides. We could expect an epic battle between Shia extremists backed by Iran, and Sunni extremists aided by al Qaeda and supporters of the old regime. A contagion of violence could spill out across the country -- and in time, the entire region could be drawn into the conflict.

For America, this is a nightmare scenario. For the enemy, this is the objective. Chaos is the greatest ally -- their greatest ally in this struggle. And out of chaos in Iraq would emerge an emboldened enemy with new safe havens, new recruits, new resources, and an even greater determination to harm America. To allow this to happen would be to ignore the lessons of September the 11th and invite tragedy. Ladies and gentlemen, nothing is more important at this moment in our history than for America to succeed in the Middle East, to succeed in Iraq and to spare the American people from this danger. (Applause.)"

Cause of Freedom

"We will continue to speak out for the cause of freedom in places like Cuba, Belarus, and Burma -- and continue to awaken the conscience of the world to save the people of Darfur. (Applause.)"

Heroes

"Three weeks ago, Wesley Autrey was waiting at a Harlem subway station with his two little girls, when he saw a man fall into the path of a train. With seconds to act, Wesley jumped onto the tracks, pulled the man into the space between the rails, and held him as the train passed right above their heads. He insists he's not a hero. He says: "We got guys and girls overseas dying for us to have our freedoms. We have got to show each other some love." There is something wonderful about a country that produces a brave and humble man like Wesley Autrey. (Applause.)

Tommy Rieman was a teenager pumping gas in Independence, Kentucky, when he enlisted in the United States Army. In December 2003, he was on a reconnaissance mission in Iraq when his team came under heavy enemy fire. From his Humvee, Sergeant Rieman returned fire; he used his body as a shield to protect his gunner. He was shot in the chest and arm, and received shrapnel wounds to his legs -- yet he refused medical attention, and stayed in the fight. He helped to repel a second attack, firing grenades at the enemy's position. For his exceptional courage, Sergeant Rieman was awarded the Silver Star. And like so many other Americans who have volunteered to defend us, he has earned the respect and the gratitude of our entire country. (Applause.)

In such courage and compassion, ladies and gentlemen, we see the spirit and character of America -- and these qualities are not in short supply. This is a decent and honorable country -- and resilient, too. We've been through a lot together. We've met challenges and faced dangers, and we know that more lie ahead. Yet we can go forward with confidence -- because the State of our Union is strong, our cause in the world is right, and tonight that cause goes on. God bless. (Applause.)

See you next year. Thank you for your prayers."

I thought the speech was great. Dick Morris was on Sean Hannity's radio show yesterday listing all of Bush's great domestic accomplishments. He talked about how everything Bush touches domestically turns to gold. Ironically though, you would never know this by the way the Drive By Media talks or by how harshly people are treating him via the polls because of Iraq. Although, Chas has a great post about What the opinion polls are actually saying and so does Flopping Aces.

All in all I think Bush deserves a lot more credit than he gets and this speech is just another demonstration of what a gracious and wonderful man we've got in the White House. May God bless him!!

Others blogging:
Gateway Pundit
Hugh Hewitt
Sister Toldjah
Mike's America
The News Buckit
Flopping Aces
Chicken Hawk Express

Going After Terrorists in Somalia

It seems that Ethiopia doesn't mess around when it comes to Islamic Terrorists. Islamic Militants took over parts of Somalia last June and ever since then Ethiopia has been helping the weak, transitional government combat them. Things came to a head in December when "Ethiopian Warplanes Attacked Somalia".

The U.S. has also gotten involved with a U.S. Air Force AC-130 gunship attacking a target suspected to be harboring al-qaeda terrorists in Somalia on the 8th of this month. The next day they coordinated with the transitional government of Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya to continue operations against the terrorists. The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower was deployed in the Indian Ocean to aid in the mission.
The transitional Somalian government welcomed the U.S. help since the mission is to go after al-qaeda terrorists indicted for the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

The War on Terror isn't just about Iraq and Afghanistan. As President Bush has said we go after the terrorists wherever we find them. Except this time I'm willing to bet we won't leave Somalia until the job is done.

Sources:
U.S. aids in Somalia anti-terror push
Attack in Somalia targets al-Qaida
Somalia sees more air strikes

Cross posted at The Astute Bloggers

4 Hours of 24 starts tonight

Don't forget about 24 starting back up tonight and head over to Blogs for Bauer to see all the new stuff going on!!

IS FOX SET TO BLOW THE NUKES ON '24'?
Dave Barry's 24 blog

Miracle in Missouri

2 Missing Boys Found Alive in Missouri

I can't tell you what awesome news this is. Ben Ownby disappeared this past monday after getting off his school bus. It was on the local and national news and since the 72 hour mark had passed everyone was fearing the worst. I can't tell you what a shock it was to see the news break live while I was watching Court Tv friday afternoon. They had found him alive but not only that they had found another boy who had been missing for 4 1/2 years. Shawn Hornbeck had also been found alive after disappearing 4 1/2 years earlier.

As the pundits on Fox News were talking about it yesterday they were saying this is the most shocking and best news on a case like this since Elizabeth Smart was found alive. You don't get good news in cases like this very often so it was very exciting.

I also watched Shawn Hornbeck's stepfather talk about the pain he had gone through the past 4 years and what it was like to have the reunion with his son. What always breaks my heart is you know irreparable damage has been done to this kid. Hopefully Ownby won't be too traumatized but with Hornbeck how do you recover from having been kidnapped and held by a sex offender for that amount of time? That was what always made me sad about Elizabeth Smart. It was so great that she was found but how will she ever recover from the abuse that she suffered those months that she was gone? These monsters steal their childhood and then they are supposed to live normal lives. Yet another reason to strengthen our laws against sex offenders.

KC Star articles:
Missing Boys Found Alive
Questions Accompany Elation

Others Blogging:
Suzie's post-- Prayers Answered Miracles Happen O/T
Gateway Pundit-- St. Louis Officials Find Ben Ownby & Shawn Hornbeck Alive!

Dealing with Iran

Toon Credit: Glenn McCoy

Thank God the Bush administration did not capitulate to the insane advice from the Iraq Surrender group that we should ask Iran and Syria for help with Iraq. Instead Bush and Condi are finally starting to get tough with Iran.

Yesterday, U.S. Troops Raid 2 Iranian Targets in Iraq, Detain 5 People. Here are some excerpts:

"The action in Irbil is one of the genuinely new additions to the U.S. strategy in Iraq. Bush said Wednesday that the United States will now "seek out and destroy the networks" arming and training U.S. enemies. He also announced that he is ordering another aircraft carrier and supporting ships to the Persian Gulf area near Iran in a show of force.

Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, charged yesterday that Iran is "complicit" in providing weapons designed to kill American troops. "We will do all we need to do to defend our troops in Iraq by going after the entire network regardless of where those people come from," he said at a news conference with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates.

Rice outlined a carrot-and-stick strategy, offering to meet with her Iranian counterpart "anytime, anywhere" to discuss "every facet" of U.S.-Iranian relations -- with the condition that Tehran suspend its program for enriching uranium, which can be used for nuclear weapons as well as for generating energy. Until that time, she said, the United States will "use all our power to limit and counter the activities of Iranian agents who are attacking our people and innocent civilians in Iraq."

Rice effectively dismissed a key recommendation of the Iraq Study Group, the bipartisan panel that last month urged the administration to launch a dialogue with Iran and Syria to help stabilize Iraq. She told reporters that Tehran and Damascus should not "be paid" to end their "destabilizing behavior," and that such a move would both demoralize friends and embolden enemies across the Middle East."

Most of us are saying what took so long? Gateway Pundit has several great posts on this, my favorite one with this title, How Condi Got Her Groove Back- Threatens Iran, Rejects Dialogue With Syria! His last sentence from that post is strikingly revealing, "Iran and Syria and democrats and the media denounced the Bush plan today." What a shock, terrorist nations, democrats and the media all having the same view on Bush's plan.

Previous posts:
Iran and Hitler Jr.
The Iraq Surrender Group

Others blogging:
As Bush Explains New Direction, US Troops Raid Iranian Consulate

Bush Combats the Summer Soldiers and Sunshine Patriots

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated."
--Thomas Paine, “The Crisis”, December 23rd, 1776

Tom Delay has written an excellent post on Bush's speech and he put this Paine quote at the top. It is so good that I wanted to post it also.

To read Bush's entire speech go here. My favorite quote:

"...Americans have always defied the pessimists and seen our faith in freedom redeemed."

Here are some excerpts from the speech:

We Must Succeed

"The consequences of failure are clear: Radical Islamic extremists would grow in strength and gain new recruits. They would be in a better position to topple moderate governments, create chaos in the region, and use oil revenues to fund their ambitions. Iran would be emboldened in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Our enemies would have a safe haven from which to plan and launch attacks on the American people. On September the 11th, 2001, we saw what a refuge for extremists on the other side of the world could bring to the streets of our own cities. For the safety of our people, America must succeed in Iraq."

Iran & Syria

"Succeeding in Iraq also requires defending its territorial integrity and stabilizing the region in the face of extremist challenges. This begins with addressing Iran and Syria. These two regimes are allowing terrorists and insurgents to use their territory to move in and out of Iraq. Iran is providing material support for attacks on American troops. We will disrupt the attacks on our forces. We'll interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria. And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq.

We're also taking other steps to bolster the security of Iraq and protect American interests in the Middle East. I recently ordered the deployment of an additional carrier strike group to the region. We will expand intelligence-sharing and deploy Patriot air defense systems to reassure our friends and allies. We will work with the governments of Turkey and Iraq to help them resolve problems along their border. And we will work with others to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons and dominating the region."

More than a Military Conflict

"The challenge playing out across the broader Middle East is more than a military conflict. It is the decisive ideological struggle of our time. On one side are those who believe in freedom and moderation. On the other side are extremists who kill the innocent, and have declared their intention to destroy our way of life. In the long run, the most realistic way to protect the American people is to provide a hopeful alternative to the hateful ideology of the enemy, by advancing liberty across a troubled region. It is in the interests of the United States to stand with the brave men and women who are risking their lives to claim their freedom, and to help them as they work to raise up just and hopeful societies across the Middle East.

From Afghanistan to Lebanon to the Palestinian Territories, millions of ordinary people are sick of the violence, and want a future of peace and opportunity for their children. And they are looking at Iraq. They want to know: Will America withdraw and yield the future of that country to the extremists, or will we stand with the Iraqis who have made the choice for freedom?

The changes I have outlined tonight are aimed at ensuring the survival of a young democracy that is fighting for its life in a part of the world of enormous importance to American security. Let me be clear: The terrorists and insurgents in Iraq are without conscience, and they will make the year ahead bloody and violent. Even if our new strategy works exactly as planned, deadly acts of violence will continue -- and we must expect more Iraqi and American casualties. The question is whether our new strategy will bring us closer to success. I believe that it will.

Victory will not look like the ones our fathers and grandfathers achieved. There will be no surrender ceremony on the deck of a battleship. But victory in Iraq will bring something new in the Arab world -- a functioning democracy that polices its territory, upholds the rule of law, respects fundamental human liberties, and answers to its people. A democratic Iraq will not be perfect. But it will be a country that fights terrorists instead of harboring them -- and it will help bring a future of peace and security for our children and our grandchildren.

This new approach comes after consultations with Congress about the different courses we could take in Iraq. Many are concerned that the Iraqis are becoming too dependent on the United States, and therefore, our policy should focus on protecting Iraq's borders and hunting down al Qaeda. Their solution is to scale back America's efforts in Baghdad -- or announce the phased withdrawal of our combat forces. We carefully considered these proposals. And we concluded that to step back now would force a collapse of the Iraqi government, tear the country apart, and result in mass killings on an unimaginable scale. Such a scenario would result in our troops being forced to stay in Iraq even longer, and confront an enemy that is even more lethal. If we increase our support at this crucial moment, and help the Iraqis break the current cycle of violence, we can hasten the day our troops begin coming home.

In the days ahead, my national security team will fully brief Congress on our new strategy. If members have improvements that can be made, we will make them. If circumstances change, we will adjust. Honorable people have different views, and they will voice their criticisms. It is fair to hold our views up to scrutiny. And all involved have a responsibility to explain how the path they propose would be more likely to succeed.

Acting on the good advice of Senator Joe Lieberman and other key members of Congress, we will form a new, bipartisan working group that will help us come together across party lines to win the war on terror. This group will meet regularly with me and my administration; it will help strengthen our relationship with Congress. We can begin by working together to increase the size of the active Army and Marine Corps, so that America has the Armed Forces we need for the 21st century. We also need to examine ways to mobilize talented American civilians to deploy overseas, where they can help build democratic institutions in communities and nations recovering from war and tyranny.

In these dangerous times, the United States is blessed to have extraordinary and selfless men and women willing to step forward and defend us. These young Americans understand that our cause in Iraq is noble and necessary -- and that the advance of freedom is the calling of our time. They serve far from their families, who make the quiet sacrifices of lonely holidays and empty chairs at the dinner table. They have watched their comrades give their lives to ensure our liberty. We mourn the loss of every fallen American -- and we owe it to them to build a future worthy of their sacrifice.

Fellow citizens: The year ahead will demand more patience, sacrifice, and resolve. It can be tempting to think that America can put aside the burdens of freedom. Yet times of testing reveal the character of a nation. And throughout our history, Americans have always defied the pessimists and seen our faith in freedom redeemed. Now America is engaged in a new struggle that will set the course for a new century. We can, and we will, prevail.

We go forward with trust that the Author of Liberty will guide us through these trying hours. Thank you and good night."

I know I shouldn't be surprised but I can't believe what doomsayers the Democrats and the Drive By Media are being about this new approach. As Rudy Guiliani said if Bush had come up with a different strategy the Democrats would be whining that we need more troops. It saddens me that there is so much venom for the President that the Democrats can't even cheer for their own country. They aren't even giving this plan a chance. They denounced it before the speech was even given. The Democrats and the Drive By Media are truly "summer soldiers" and "sunshine patriots".

I am thankful that as Bush points out "Americans have always defied the pessimists". May God strengthen our soldiers for this fight and give the military leaders wisdom so that we can see freedom prevail.

Others blogging:
Flopping Aces
Sister Toldjah
Gateway Pundit
Tom Delay

Must See TV!!

Much to everyone's shock (probably) I didn't watch many TV series this past fall because some of them were missing in action. Prison Break and Lost were the main ones and I also watched Survivor and Amazing Race. Prison Break took a break pretty early and Lost was only on for a month so January is an exciting month.

Most exciting of course is 24 starts on January 14th with a 2 hour kick-off and then another 2 hours on the 15th so it begins with a bang. Shane and Kelli are finally caught up so Timothy is probably the only one I have to worry about with the spoilers ;-)!! If you haven't checked out Blogs for Bauer yet you are missing out. Join in on the liveblogging on the 14th & 15th, its a lot of fun!

It was interesting because I re-watched A Few Good Men the other day and I hate Kiefer Sutherland in that movie. He plays such a despicable character and so different than his role in 24. His infamous quote, "Private Santiago is dead and that is a tragedy, but he is dead because he had no code, he is dead because he had no honor and God was watching." Yikes!! I'm not sure I liked Sutherland in any movie before 24 except maybe The Three Musketeers.


Wildfire started up on New Year's Day! It is a fun show about a girl, a horse and much more.


Prison Break comes back from its hiatus on January 22nd. If you are a fan of Prison Break you need to come join us at Prison Break Central especially when the episodes air for liveblogging. Tons of fun!!


Nashville Star is Country Music's version of American Idol and it starts up this thursday, January 11th.


Unfortunately we have to wait until February for Lost but not too long since it starts up on February 7th.

New Year's Wishes--Part 2 (Female Edition)

My wish for Skye is that she gets to go on a week long cruise with these guys as her tour guides :-)!!


Mahndisa also gets a week at a science resort, since it was such a big hit with Becky ;-)!! While there Mahndisa gets the opportunity to discuss all kinds of physics' theories with other experts in the field.


My wish for Gayle is a week long vacation at a luxury ranch for her and Walt and all the news channels are moonbat free of the likes of Cindy Sheehan and Hillary Clinton. Just like channels bleep out curse words these will bleep out any news of loony liberals. Also, special Doctors for Walt to completely fix his teeth after his recent accident.


Suzie gets to spend a week traveling with John Walsh campaigning for stricter laws for sex offenders and making a huge impact.


Since Monica is a fellow homeschooling mom I can imagine what she would like. So for her I have a week long spa trip which caters to conservatives. Fox News on all the tvs and lots of fun magazines lying around such as "The Weekly Standard" and "The Limbaugh Letter".


Little Orange Fox gets to spend some time with a hunky, conservative boxing trainer so she can perfect her commie, pummeling skills!!

Perspective

Toon Credit: Wayne Stayskal

This cartoon is my only contribution to politics in this post. My life has been getting in the way of blogging recently.

Yesterday I found out a friend of mine committed suicide. She wasn't a close friend but I'm going to her funeral today and it is still a sobering thing and makes you take restock of your life. Another friend from college let me know in her Christmas letter that her husband died this past year. Since they are my age it makes you do a double take.

My thoughts have gone to how we needlessly worry and stress out about things that in the scheme of things aren't that big of a deal compared to life or death. A quote from my earlier post: "Work hard, play hard, laugh hard, and leave the worries to your Father." Tim McGraw's song, "Live like you were dying!!"