It was really heart breaking to watch. This past Tuesday our President stood over the podium with that strained, pinched  look on his face. Like he'd much rather be in Crawford clearing brush on his ranch. The reporter asked him,   "Mr. President, less than two months ago, at the end of one of the bloodiest months in the war, you said: Absolutely, we're winning. Yesterday, you said: We're not winning; we're not losing.Why did you drop your confident assertion about winning?”    I know many of you saw this, too.  For the life of me it looked as if the President was about to bolt and run.  But he didn't.   He began to mumble & stumble through his predictable response.  His typical "stay the course" style of rhetoric.  "I believe that we're going to win,” Mr Bush said. “My comments yesterday reflected the fact that we're not succeeding nearly as fast as I wanted...”  

In one respect my heart really bled for the guy. But the other side of me was thinking, "what a door-mat our President has become. What an extreme Missed Opportunity!"

I suppose many, at this point,  would love to have been able to crawl inside of  George Bush's brain and become the puppet master.  At least I know I had that thought.  I would love to have seen him  take this opportunity to Jack Slap the MSM,  the empty headed American Voter and the Dem's.  Whats he got to lose?  He's a Lame Duck. Very Lame.  He could have started by looking the guy square in the eyes and saying, "That was before the American Voter gave our Military and myself a big vote of No Confidence on 11/7. The reason the war effort has intensified is because al-Queda in Iraq  has been trying to influence our election.  And it looks like they have succeeded."  And then he could have began  to read the documented jubilant victory quotes from all of our enemies: Abu Hamza al-Muhajir ( head of al-Qaeda in Iraq). Iran's  Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Hugo Chavez, and the list of notables goes on.  Again, all well documented victory speeches celebrating the U.S. election results. Celebrating the Democratic victory!   (do a google search if you don't believe me)  And he could have explained how al-Qaeda/Iraq and the insurgents  have become even more  energized since 11/7, resulting in even more intensified attacks. 

And then he "could have" looked right into the camera and said, "I take most of the responsibility for this temporary  downturn in the war but the American Voter must take some responsibility, also.  They have energized the enemy by their decision. Just as Spanish voters energized them, in 2003,  after the Madrid bombings."    He's got the documented quotes from our sworn enemies.  Published statements. Right? We saw what happened in Spain and we criticized them for it.  Now we've done the same thing.   You could just about expect to hear next that these terror networks have been donating to the DNC.   In fact (he could have pointed out) many of these pro-Democratic Party quotes came from terrorist websites prior to the election and the American voter knew of them yet they still cast their vote for the Dem's.  Shameful.  

Of course you could just imagine the call for his impeachment the next day  had he taken this tact. That call coming from the hard-core Democratic base.  But  that would be offset by  the "rest of us" leaping up from our arm chairs and cheering the President on.  But then again, the President , Rove/Mehlman and RNC hierarchy haven't much considered the "rest of us" as very important over the last couple of years.  Continually opposing us (the base) on a myriad of issues.

Sometimes a "daydream" like this can ease the mind. Throw off a little stress. But then its time to return to the hard reality.  And that is that 2008 looms ahead of us like a howling banshee and there is no way to detour around it.  We have no apparent courageous leaders in the GOP that will publicly hold the "left" accountable.   And that is what is needed  desperately.     DD
http://streetlevel.townhall.com

It was during the '92 Clinton campaign that, as I remember,  James Carville hung the now infamous sign  in Clintons Little Rock headquarters: "Its the Economy Stupid".  Well it may have been then -  but not now.  We have this absolutely roaring economy.  It surely didn't help President Bush and the Repub's did it?  And lets give some credit where it is due. The President gave us this fabulous economy (refused to sign Kyoto which would've wrecked it). He and the Senate have appointed wonderful judges both to the Supreme court and lower courts. And - no attacks in 5 years since 9/11!  Isn't that worth something?   Yet, like the Titanic, the GOP continues to sink.  The iceberg named the American Voter has revealed their colossal ingratitude and fickleness.

But wait a minute!  The American Voter hasn't finished showing what a bunch of unstable, vacillating, indecisive minds of mush they can really be!  They have selected their Hero.  Their Champion. Yes. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.  That very "Junior" senator from the liberal state of Illinois, "Barack Hussein Obama"! 

No matter that in the U.S. Senate he ranks 99th out of 100 in seniority.  Because - hey! - none other than Time Magazine has said about him, "one of the most influential people in the world!".  Based on what? I don't know but if Time said it, it must be true - right?  And the influential British journal New Statesman said of Barack in Oct 05 something to the effect that he can "Save the World!".   Wow!  No wonder Illinois voters liked him.   Additionally, in the short 2 year period that Sen. Obama has been in office he has received no less than 4 honorary doctorates from major universities.  How many did President Bush receive? I know Condi Rice had to get her's the hard way.     Yes Sen. Obama has become the darling of the Main Stream Media and the elitist university crowd. 

Can you really blame him for taking that football and running with it?  Its like defensive end Obama  just standing there after  2 linebackers charge in  and hit the quarterback causing him to cough up the football. It pops up in the air and right into  Obama's arms and there's clear field and 10 yards to the goal post.  He's not going to say, "I don't deserve this. Here. One of you linebackers take this ball and run it in for the touch down". Thats kind of what has happened to Sen Obama in a sense.    The Main Stream Media is absolutely in love with this  guy. They have given him  notoriety.  Big time name recognition. Plastered his picture everywhere.  And Sen Obama is just a good, red blooded American man who is definitely going to take advantage of this opportunity.  It would be un-American not to!

But it really comes back to rest on the shoulders of that non-thinking, unstable American Voter.  For most of them its all about Entertainment Value.  Who can entertain them?  When and where?   They view the political arena much the way they view the football arena. Or a  WWF match. American Idol. Or Survivor.  Its a little scary isn't it?  But thats just the way it is right now.  Especially, since Rove and  the bungling RNC hierarchy have run the Republican Party aground.

One  bit of info before we go to a commercial break folks.  And that is the Hillary factor.  Lets not count her out yet.  You can bet that if Obama gets to be too much of a threat the Clinton Machine will dig deep and find some dirt or a skeleton in Obama's closet. And with the help of their "willing accomplices in the Main Stream Media" they'll tear poor Obama to shreds.  I really feel for the guy in a way.   The press and the American public like nothing better than to build someone up (like Obama)  just so they can tear them down.  My advice to Senator Obama?  Switch to the Republican Party.  Wouldn't that just throw everyone into an absolute tailspin?  

And one last message to conservative political commentators/opinionators.  Its a whole lot of fun exposing the Dem's for what they really are "but", don't forget 2008. If we are to win we must begin the unpleasant task of exposing those in our own GOP who have steered this party off course.   And those who are still trashing our party.  And if they continue to refuse to step aside we must put extreme negative pressure on them.   The Democratic political arena is indeed a sideshow.  But for the GOP to win we must project a totally different image and we must have our own house in order.      DD 
http://streetlevel.townhall.com

12/10/2006
 All I heard from the Main Stream  Media (MSM) was that Alex Litvinenko was a former KGB Spy.  And, of course, there were the pictures. Obviously aimed at the female audience. His wavy blonde hair, etc.  His eyes - deep pools.  Then the pitiful picture of him in the hospital. Minus the hair. And this coverage went on for days. Weeks. Then finally on the day prior to his funeral, tucked away in a small story on a page 20 something; "Former Spy's Funeral Held at London Mosque while Investigation Widens".  And when the word "MOSQUE" [in that sentence] slapped me in the face  I knew  that I'd, once again, been "had" by the  Main Stream Media.  MOSQUE!? The MSM does a masterful job but eventually they must let a tiny bit of the truth slip through.  So a quick google search  revealed that this Litvinenko, with his wavy blonde hair, is a convert to Islam and is connected closely  with the Chechen Jihadists. The same Chechn Mujaheddin that are strongly linked to Al Qaeda. Appears Bin Laden himself donated $30Mil to their cause and has sent fighters to their region.  And I also find that Litvinenko has even been involved in the smuggling of radioactive materials. So when Al Qaeda finally does get to set off a suitcase bomb it most likely will be supplied courtesy of Mr. Alexander Litvinenko.

So as I am watching this hidden part of the Litvinenko story unfold,  I find myself thinking of Vlad Putin.  And I'm finding my whole opinion of him is beginning to change.  Like I'm wanting to give him a "high five" and congratulate him for taking down a real bad dude.  Don't get me wrong. I know Putin is no perfect Angel. And I think they really bungled this one.  But Vlad and the Russian people have feelings, too.  And one thing that the Russians, Brits and ourselves all have in common is that we are all at war with radical Islam.  You'd think we all could find some common ground. Work together.  Maybe even learn a few tricks from some of the brilliant former KGB minds.  And God know's we need friends/allies right now.

But no cee-gar.  Our own haughty, arrogant Department of State (under Colin Powell I might ad) would not even acknowledge the Chechen groups as terrorists until February 2003. And then with strict warning to the Russian government advocating only a "political settlement".    And this was about 16 months "after" the Dubrovka Theatre siege that left 129 hostages dead!   And those death's had to be blamed on the 42 Islamic Jihadists hostage takers (who all  got lead in their head). Not the Russian special forces who did the best they could.  And we remember the pictures of the aftermath. Seeing the women in their burka's with C4 strapped to them.  Slumped over in their seats. Holes in their heads. And we all knew that they were not Chechen Separatists as the MSM described them.  These monsters were members of the Chechen Mujaheddin. The Chechen/Dagestan area of the North Caucasus region has been consumed by Wahabbism and much of the region is under a Sharia law shadow governing system.

And then the incident that left us all in tears. The Beslan School massacre in September 2004.  Three Hundred Fifty dead which included 156 children.  Many of these children  mowed down by the "Chechen Separatists" with machine pistols and hand grenades. I remember how this effected me. Halfway across the world here in Texas. I wept.   And I'm sure Vladimir Putin and the Russian people were grieving and hurting deep inside.  And I'm also sure they haven't forgotten.  Like many here in the U.S. have forgotten regarding 9/11.  And they seem to be taking care of business.  They took out the individual who masterminded the 2 attacks.  Shamil Basayev was taken out by, of all things, a car bomb back in July of this year by Russian agents. I'd like to say - congrats to these guys.  The Russians are just not going to let world opinion deter them from protecting their nation and fighting her enemies.  Kind of like what the Israeli's used to be like.

And, again,  it appears that Alexander Litvinenko was thick with these Chechen jihadists.  In my mind he was one of them. And the same goes for the journalist Anna Politkovskaya.  She was reporting every offensive action by the Russians but painted the Chechens as innocent freedom fighters.  I liken her to some of those at the NYTimes who have printed classified top secret material that  has hurt our efforts in the war on terror.  Now let me say I do not condone what the Russians did. I'm not wanting to see NY Times editors whacked.  But I'd like to see them prosecuted.  Which will never happen. Freedom of speech does not cover publishing top secret information during a time of war.

Our State Department and President Bush need to get off of the back of the Russians and recognize that Chechnya is part of the same jihadist patch-work quilt that is Afganistan, Pakistan, Iraq and the whole region.  We need to stop criticizing the Russian tactics and start using some of them.  And the Brits. Well they are absolutely so divorced from reality. They openly allow the  most vile of the enemy to live and operate openly in their country. 

In our efforts to prove to the world that we are not  "in a war on the peaceful religion of Islam", we have alienated our former enemy who just happens to be fighting the same enemy as we are fighting.  The Russians would undoubtedly have been a very valuable ally in the war on terror.   But its probably too late.  Too much bad blood has flowed between our 2 countries in the last couple of years.  I wonder how many other Colin Powell foul ups are eventually going to surface.
DD
http://streetlevel.townhall.com