Catching Up

Whew -- it's been a week since I last publicly aired my opinions. I don't like to let that kind of time pass, it's bad for my health. But work and vacation plans required due attention, and they took away from my blog time. It's not easy to have a demanding full time job and enjoy sufficient leisure time at the same time. All work and no play make T. an ornery boy.

So, where was I? Oh yes, the election. Well, I have to say, things turned out quite nicely. Messrs. Allen, Talent, Santorum, and Swann are now looking for work. I'm sure they'll all be fine, it's not as if they are paupers. It is absolutely hilarious to me how George Allen's Presidential train derailed in the past three months. The guy shoots himself in the foot more than Yosemite Sam. His departure was the most pleasing of all.

Check that, Rummy's departure was the most satisfying. That incompetent anachronism only managed to stay in power this long thanks to Cheney, who I am now convinced has rocks in his head and crude oil in his veins. (Black Gold!) The guy just doesn't give a shit about anything but himself, his family, his friends, and his oil company. He would sell this country down the river if it could make him a few bones. He is the Emperor to Bush's Darth Vader. Let's hope Yoda (James Baker) can bring Bushie back to the good side of the Force. (Forgive me, I watched a few scenes from "Revenge of the Sith" last night).

It was a bit shocking, I have to admit, to see how contrite Bush was during that press conference the day after the election. The man can act! I guess he doesn't have much choice, but we'll see how long it lasts. Even for someone as arrogant as Karl Rove, there is no way to view this election other than as a huge bitchslap to the faccia regarding the President's policies, most notably, the Iraq War. It only took three elections for American voters to learn how to separate b.s. from reality and vote accordingly. Kudos to you, America! (I fully expect cluelessness to make a big comeback in 2008 -- prove me wrong, you unwashed masses, I dare you!)

In other news...

Saddam is going to be hanged soon. He wanted a firing squad, but they are refusing to grant him even that wish. You know, I never thought I would say this, but I am beginning to think Iraq was better off with him in power. There are nearly as many people dead and maimed as he himself was responsible for killing, and this is just the tip of the iceberg of what is coming when we leave that sorry place. And we are leaving soon, you better believe it, folks. My prediction: most troops will be gone before the 2008 election. What a colossal clusterfuck we made of things there.

Don't look now, but Iran and Israel are heading for a major showdown. And it's not going to end well. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is walking around, talking smack, like some kind of arrogant, bearded little pipsqueak with a Napoleon complex. And Israel is just looking for an excuse to jumpstart the Apocalypse. A part of me understands why Israel would rather drop bombs on Iran and risk commencing WWIII than live with a nuclear Iran. The reasons are obvious. (Suicide bomber with a nuclear weapon anyone?) On the other hand, if Israel can have nuclear weapons, why shouldn't Iran? If Iran weren't such a destablizing force in the world, this logic might hold water. Guess we'll have to watch from the sidelines with some popcorn. Pretty soon, we may not even need to put the Orville Redenbacher in the microwave, just hold it out the window for 5 minutes.

To learn more about Mr. Ahmadinejad and his kooky world views, check out his website. I'll bet he has his own Myspace page too. Doggone it, the guy is media savvy.

Seriously though, everyone should be working towards disarmament and getting rid of nuclear weapons and instead, we are headed for another arms race. Not good. As pea-brained as they were, at least the dinosaurs didn't destroy themselves.

Ed Bradley died. Very sad. He was one of my favorite reporters, and the stories they had about him on last Sunday's 60 Minutes were very moving. Particularly the scene of him with the sick little boy in Eastern Europe, and his reporting from Vietnam during the Vietnam War. In Vietnam, reporters were still on the front lines, in harm's way. They weren't "embedded" like they are today. They were in the actual shit, dodging bullets and risking their lives. Bradley even got hit by shrapnel when he was there. The guy lived a hell of a life.

Britney and K-Fed are divorcing. Shocking. Pass the pork rinds.

I think some other stuff happened during the past week, but the above pretty much covers the really important news. Oh wait, I heard Luke and Laura are getting married again on General Hospital. There, now I'm done.