Fall Classic

REMEMBER THOU ART MORTAL
"Congress is not getting it's work done," President Bush said, flanked by members of the Republican House leadership. "Bush blasted the Democratic-controlled Congress on Tuesday for having "the worst record in 20 years."The House of Representatives has wasted valuable time on a constant stream of investigations, and the Senate has wasted valuable time on an endless series of failed votes to pull our troops out of Iraq."

I'm starting to look at the President in a whole different way, he has gone from being simply goofy to a hysterical cartoon version of a bad leader. I mean you can't make this stuff up. Is he so shameless that he can actually say things like this? Chastising Congress for choosing to question the President? To exercise some of it's Constitutional authority in a balance of powers.

Hey, I'm the first one to say that this entire government is a mess. Unable to show any fiscal responsibility or leadership in any venue, whether it be foreign or domestic. There is a lack of any statemanship and every effort to get the nation's work done is politicized to the point of paralysis.

Perhaps if the Republican controlled Congress and the Democratic minority had showed any backbone in the first six years of the Bush administration we would not have as "much to investigate" and wouldn't be concerned with pulling our troops out of Iraq. Surveys generally show that the American people are frustrated with Congress yet we continue to send back over 90% of the incumbents. Rarely is there a "throw the bums" out movement afoot. Usually voters feel their congressman is OK and it's the others that are filled with pork barrel politicking and mucking up the process.

The lack of effort by Congress in looking at real change and the lack of effort in reining in the President as he led us on the road to war and the road to ruin in fiscal responsibility is nearly criminal. To act as inactive observers bloviating in the press to raise money to ensure their re-election, rubber stamping or simply complaining about the President's inanity and/or insanity.

Certainly there will be some small change in Congress in the next election, some shifting of the deck chairs, some back benchers trying to make some noise, but soon begin carrying the water of the leadership in Congress or from Pennsylvania Avenue, forgetting the power, the Demos, the power that comes from the people and from the Constitution.

Certainly, the Imperial Presidency, retooled after the shame of Watergate and in a time of incessant and perhaps non-ending war has become the center of power in the world, with the City on the Hill and our soft power of the greatest nation on earth has become tarnished.

Where does the next great leader, or in fact group of leaders come from once the Bush nightmare is over?

Sammy, We Hardly Knew Ye

Sam has narrowed the field on the GOP side. Dropping out in the face of his lack of funds and a sensibility amongst most Republicans that the country may not be prepared to make a rapid run further to the right wing. So Huckabee may pick up some of those who see abortion as their one issue, but outside of that small percentage this is just a historical footnote. Opus Dei doesn't get their guy in the White House and the lead warrior against Janet Jackson's nipple gets ready to fight other battles. It remains to be seen who makes an effort to pick up these votes, will it Huckabee, or is he not loony enough? Apparently, Alan Keyes now picks up the mantle of the religious right. Another story for another day.

WOW!
How sweet it is, Red Sox world champions. Now, nothing will ever be as incredible as that run in 2004. But we know that this victory will not be tarnished a week later by the re-election of George W. Bush. Baseball to me is a passion, certainly populated by over priced, sometimes obnoxious athletes, and over commercialized but the beauty of a baseball season is the metronome of my life. For years the Red Sox were the laughing stock, often competitive but predictably always faltering at the end usually at the hands of our fantastically evil older brother, New York. While many will accuse our team of outspending our rival AL and NL teams alike and simply emulating the Yankee success, the stories of our squad will warm my heart through the winter months. Game 4 winner Jon Lester a cancer survivor, the rookies who set the table, the veterans who had seen it all, and our Latino and Asian players who brought the "World" in World Series. Red Sox nation, it wasn't a fluke.