Praetorian Guard

Praetorian Guard

The Republicans now control all three branches of government. And here I was under the impression that Republicans didn't believe that the court made laws. Kind of undermines their argument about being against "activist judges" and "activist courts."

And there is of course the State of the Union Address. What a great night for getting in your partisan exercise. I counted some 40 seperate standing ovations. Whew! Imagine that in a nice suit. (You know that a few were starting to get funky from all that exercise.) The Republicans rose to their feet, according to my count 39 seperate times to applaud the vocal stylings of the president. The Democrats stood a mere 25 times by my count. The one time that the Republicans didn't stand came when the Democrats rose to cheer when the president said, "Congress did not act last year on my proposal to save Social Security."

Some saw this as disrespectful. Yeah, foolish Democrats, they aren't brow beaten enough for doing nothing. The media should have applauded the Democrats for standing together as a party for the first time in quite some time. The look of suprise on Bush's face was priceless.

OK enough with the fun and games at both parties expense. Now I want to return to focus on Bush. I wanted to focus upon a couple of statements he made that I think deserve some discussion and that haven't been talked about my the MSM (and by that I mean FOXNews, FND (formerly CNN).

Terrorists like bin Laden are serious about mass murder -- and all of us must take their declared intentions seriously. They seek to impose a heartless system of totalitarian control throughout the Middle East, and arm themselves with weapons of mass murder.

Their aim is to seize power in Iraq, and use it as a safe haven to launch attacks against America and the world.

OK, let us accept this as true. When I heard it, and when I read it I come away with the understanding that Bush really doesn't believe that the Iraqis are capable of determining their own future. As I understand it, Bush is saying that the Iraqis lack the ability and the courage to repel the 2-3000(?) foreign fighters that make up al Qaeda in Iraq. According to Bush, without the US, Iraq would be a "safe haven." I have a hard time believing that the Shiites would allow a small groups of Sunnis to "seize power." To say nothing of the Saddam loyalists.

I tell you what, I'd be more comfortable with the conditions in Iraq if Bush had an actual exit strategy. Of course, I don't think he has one. Besides, even if he did it isn't like he really wants to leave. Not with those "enduring bases" in the offing. But I digress.

I was really bothered by the standing ovation for Staff Sergeant Dan Clay. Why is it that both houses of Congress only rise in ovation for this one soldier when there are 2200+ dead that haven't recieved the same sort of recognition? It is most disgusting to watch as both the soldier and the family are used for political theatre by Bush and condoned by the Democrats. How does this act comport with the statement that "[o]ur nation is grateful to the fallen, who live in the memory of our country."

And then there is of course the "compassionate" America that Bush spoke about. The compassionate America with the likes of Bush's "opinion leaders" who call for the death and destruction of all Muslims. To say nothing of those compassionate Americans that believe in shooting those immigrants that cross the border illegally. (Update: See comment section.) Nothing says compassion like threats of violence and a 15 foot high fence.

Then there was Bush's comments on how the line-item-veto would be a wonderful tool to use against earmarks, "because the federal budget has too many special interest projects." Are we to believe that this president (any president) would veto all the pork from the budget? I must be too cynical, because I can see a president not using the line-item as a means to endearing support or to curry political favors.

And if you have come this far, I was curious to know if you knew who these people are preaching their "isolationists" policies that has Bush so concerned that he had to mention them on five seperate occassions. I know it is easy to pin positions to the Democrats, but come on.