In a vote of 51-47, the Senate approved a military funding bill that calls for American withdrawal from Iraq by March 31, 2008.

In a vote of 218-212, the House approved a military funding bill that calls for American withdrawal from Iraq by September 2008.

These two bills must be reconciled before just one goes to President Bush, who has promised a veto.  

Now what?  If each house insists on its date of surrender, then nothing will go to President.  If Congress actually wants something to go to the President, then a compromise will have to be reached.  Will the compromise be March 2008, September 2008, or some date in between?

Then, if the bill receives the promised veto, it will go back to Congress, which doesn't have enough votes to override a veto.  So, what will actually have been accomplished?

Nothing, which is pretty much all Congress is good for these days.  I've given up trying to remember when was the last time Congress actually did something that was in the best interest of our country. 

Democrat (of course) Sen. Mark Pryor has come up with a brilliant idea on what to do in Iraq:  
We're going to leave but we're going to keep the date a secret.

He can't possibly be serious.  

Number One, Congress can't keep its collective mouth shut about anything, particularly the democrats, who will be lining up to to talk to the New York Times, which will always think of the good of America last. 

Number Two, we can't just leave.  It takes time to pack things up and ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, et al., will be filming every second of it, never once forgetting to ask what the pullout date is. 

My gosh, is this man representative of our elected officials?  Have they really gotten that stupid?  Is America really in the hands of such people?

 Did you catch that drivel by the Edwards Sunday night?  He wants to run because he has a responsibility to this country?  She wants him to run because she doesn't want her legacy to be that she removed this "fine man from the possibility of giving a great service."  What rot!

He has the financial ability to be with his wife and provide her with the best treatment possible, to be with his children, and he chooses something else.  After all, his 8- and 6-year old "baby birds" need to "start learning to fly."

He says he doesn't want the sympathy vote.  Tripe!  He's counting on it.  Can't you just see it now:

"My wife, Elizabeth, can't be with us tonight.  As you know, she has cancer and it's incurable. It's her desire that I be here tonight.  She wants more than anything for me to be President of the United States.  Wouldn't that be a fine legacy for my dying wife?   Can you, will you help me fulfill my dying wife's last request?"

Okay, he won't use these exact words.  It won't be necessary.  He's already said them a different way. 

John Edwards had a choice to make, and he didn't choose the woman he swore to love and cherish above all else.  All the fancy words won't change that fact.  Putting a tiara on a pig doesn't make it the homecoming queen.

There are other ways to serve.  I don't know, but how many of his millions has he given to worthwhile causes?  Does he really need that big new mansion?  Millions of people in this country serve.  They do it in their everyday lives and don't make a big show about it.  They do what they can to make their little corner of the world a better place for those around them.

Does John Edwards really want to serve or does he just want to be the Most Powerful Man in the World?

I am Al Gore, hear me roar.
I'm simply too big to ignore.
I'm center stage and here I will reside.
Because it's my turn up to bat,
and I've got my shtick down pat.
I'm on a roll, so kindly step aside.

Though I am wrong,
it's such an easy sell.
Hypocrite?  For sure.
But, man, it sure pays well.
If I have to,
I will say anything.
I will fudge.
I will equivocate.
I am Al Gore.

I've got an Oscar on my shelf.
Perhaps a Nobel for myself?
I'm basking in such global adulation.
But I won't take no stinking pledge,
'cause my bets I aim to hedge
while spewing forth this phony information.

Though I am wrong,
it's such an easy sell.
Hypocrite?  For sure.
But, man, it sure pays well.
If I have to,
I will say anything.
I will fudge.
I will equivocate.
I am Al Gore.

 Now that the House of Representatives has set September 1, 2008, as the date we will surrender in Iraq, I got to thinking.

At any time in the history of mankind has any side in any war won after declaring a date certain for when they will simply quit?

Is Congress ever going to quit pretending that it is the least bit interested in the welfare of America?

"If you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed, if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not so costly, you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance for survival.  There may be a worse case.  You may have to fight when there is no chance of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves."

Sir Winston Churchill 

. . . our Founding Fathers are turning over in their graves.  Their heirs are nothing more than buffoons and thieves intent on destroying the country they strove so valiantly to create.  At a time when America faces an enemy unlike any in its past, Congress has descended into farce.

One Congressman wants to outlaw the "wrong kind" of light bulbs.

One Congressman wants to make moral objection to homosexual acts a hate crime.

One Senator wants to steal companies' profits.

Congress as a whole is intent on destroying America's economy based on junk science and mass hysteria and is currently engaged in a witch hunt in yet another effort to besmirch the current occupant of the White House, a man they hate beyond reason, a man they will destroy at all costs, even if that cost is our country itself.

When America lies in smoldering ruins, will they finally realize the error of their ways?  Not bloody likely.  They have neither the intelligence to understand the error of their ways, nor the integrity to admit it.

A new poll shows that 49% of Iraqis think that things are better now than under Hussein, with only 26% saying that things were better then.

Meanwhile in Europe, only 25% think that things have improved since their country joined the European Union, with 44% thinking that things have gotten worse.

 Rosie O'Donnell announced that she is being treated for depression.  Come on now, she's Rosie O'Donnell.  If you were her, wouldn't you be depressed?

Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) announced that he doesn't believe in God.  I don't know why he thinks this comes as a big surprise.  What has he ever said or done that would lead anyone to think that he believes in any power higher than himself?

States are discovering that imposing higher and higher taxes on cigarettes are causing people to stop smoking, thus reducing revenues, which will probably lead them to raise taxes some more.  Hmmm!  When something costs more, people buy less.  What about this basic principle of economics is so difficult for legislators to grasp?

Madeleine Albright announced that America has lost its moral authority.  She's right.  That happened at the exact same moment that Bill Clinton dropped his drawers in the Oval Office to be serviced by some young girl he had just met and whose name he didn't even know.

In order to shelter some of their income, Bill & Hillary gave $5 million to the Clinton Family Foundation, which then gave a grant to a charity connected to the man who helped her make $100,000 in commodities all those years ago.  Hush money?

The 51-49 democrat majority in the senate is an illusion.  Tim Johnson (D-SD) has been in the hospital for months.  He may never resume his seat again, which reduces the actual majority to 50-49.  Joe Lieberman (I-CT) is an independent, even though he usually goes left.  Thus the actual count is 49-49-1.  And, Lieberman has announced that he may go over to the right side of the fence.  Whatever will Harry Reid do then?

Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez is beefing up his country's military in preparation for an attack from us.  That's right, Hugo.  America's got nothing better to do than attack you.  He's so busy ruining his country's economy that he should be more worried about his own people.

Rick Kaplan, the guy brought up to save CBS from Katie Couric, advised Bill Clinton during one of his scandals.  But don't worry, there's not going to be any bias at the Clinton Broadcasting Service.

According to the latest poll Iraqis, by a margin of 2-1, believe that their life is better now than under Saddam.  President Bush has actually accomplished something in foreign policy, which neither of his most recent democrat predecessors can say.  Why do think the democrats are so intent on wrecking it? 

. . . it's only our future, the very existence of our country, that's hanging in the balance.

Iran isthisclose to having the ability to make nuclear weapons.  Unfortunately, there are plenty of people in the world who are stupid enough to buy the drivel that Iran only wants nuclear power for peaceful purposes.  Didn't we already go down this road with North Korea?

Meanwhile, on the homefront, I'm paying $.50 more for a gallon of gas than I was this time last week.  I'm doing this because Congress has refused to allow America to become energy independent.  For decades now, Congress has decreed that we will be dependent on foreign sources.  We have poured billions into the coffers of the very whack jobs who are now trying to destroy us.  Nothing like having our own money used against us.

Now comes news that one intelligence-challenged member of congress on the right wants to introduce legislation making fluorescent light bulbs mandatory.  Way to fiddle while Rome burns.  Of all the things out there that need handling, is this really high on the list.

Not to be outdone, intelligence-challenged members of congress on the left are all geared up to investigate the firing of 8 US attorneys.  Imagine, they are actually going to investigate something that the President has an absolute right to do.

Democrats have descended into farce, and they are too intelligence-challenged to see it. 

Hey, it's only our country.

  Shortly after Al Gore won an Oscar for his sci-fi thriller, “A Convenient Lie,” it was announced that he’s actually an energy hog. Turns out that he and his family consume more electricity in one month than the average family does in one year, and his usage actually increased after the release of his movie. In 2006, he paid about $30,000 for natural gas and electricity. (Why Mr. Gore bought a white, 20-room mansion could keep psychotherapists busy for years.)

  Turns out, President Bush is actually the more eco-friendly of the two. Not a surprise. Some people actually do what hypocrites only preach.

  Not to worry, though, Mr. Green Jeans “pays” for carbon offsets. What this means is that those who are responsible for high levels of CO2 emissions pay a levy that will go towards renewable energy sources. In the fantasy land that global warmists live in, this means that they are not only really concerned about the climate, they’re doing something to help. Of course, they’re not actually doing anything to reduce their usage, they’re just paying extra to make up for it.

  If I pay extra for the excess energy I consume, am I really helping? I don’t know. If I offer to pay for something after I have been caught shoplifting it, have I committed a crime? I realize that voters returned control of Congress to the Democrats, but have we really become so dumbed down that we’re actually buying this complete and utter nonsense?

  By the way, God has promised never again to destroy the world by water, which contrasts with alarmist views on rising ocean levels. I know whom I believe

  After it came out that Hot Air Al was really an energy hog - who soothes his conscience by "buying" green power from his own company - we learned that President Bush is more eco-friendly than Mr. Gore.  Isn't that the way of it.  Some of us actually practice what the hypocrites only preach.

  Speaking of hot air, I hear that there's global warming happening on Mars, and not an SUV in sight.  How can this be?

  Hillary is in trouble with the Left because of her stance on the Iraq war.  Because she needs to placate both the Left and the Right in order to win, she's having a problem.  Never fear, here comes Boy Clinton to the rescue.  In an effort to smooth things over, he's taken to saying that Iraq is important and that we just can't pull out.  Those two have a very symbiotic relationship.  She used him to get where she is, and now he's using her to get back into the White House.

  A very popular website is touting how you can survive nuclear destruction.  Why, exactly, would I want to?

  The sins of the fathers has now been visited on the sons.  Turns out that a distant ancestor of Mitt Romney was a polygamist, while a couple of distant ancestors of Barack Obama owned slaves.  You have got to be kidding.  The only people who might use these facts as criteria for voting for or against either of these men are people I don't want voting in the first place.

  George Soros bought $62 million dollars worth of Halliburton stock.  Apparently, he's not going to let his "beliefs" get in the way of his profits.

  Well, Anna Nicole Smith is finally going to be laid to rest.  Tell me again, why exactly is she famous?

   James Cameron, who used to be a famous director, has apparently found the remains of Jesus, his wife, Mary Magdalene, and their son, Judah.  I'm no expert on the subject, but I think that if God had had a grandson, the Bible would have mentioned it at least once.

    

Hillary has declared the subject of her husband's impeachment off limits.  It's okay to mention Bill (he's the likable one, you know) but only in a positive way.  I'm sure that this is the first of the restrictions she will place on people who want to ask her questions.  Monica?  Out.  Whitewater?  Out.  Kathleen Willey?  Out.  Pardons?  Out.  Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

I can see the debates now:

Moderator:  The first question goes to Senator Obama.  Senator Obama, you indicate that you want to pull all of our troops out of Iraq.  What are your plans in case such a move causes greater chaos than now exists?

Senator Obama:  . . .

Moderator:  The next question goes to Senator Biden.  Senator Biden, how do you plan to fix Social Security?

Senator Biden:  . . .

Moderator:  The next question goes to former Senator Edwards:  Mr. Edwards, how do you plan to fix the health care system?

Mr. Edwards:  . . .

Moderator:  The next question goes to Senator Clinton.  Senator Clinton, that's a lovely suit, where did you get it?

  It's a good thing I don't want to go anywhere right away this morning.  You see, there's a couple of inches of global warming on the ground.  I can barely make out my driveway.  Wonder if I have antifreeze in the radiators of the cars that are covered with global warming?  It's for dang sure that if I go anywhere, the four-wheel drive I have on my gas-guzzling SUVs is coming to come in mighty handy.

  It's below 20 right now.  So far, my pipes are in good shape.  The sick cat we're nursing is probably thankful to be inside right now instead of his usual outside.

  It's beautiful!  The tree limbs are encrusted in white.  So are my weeds, for that matter.  The mountains beyond my trees look like they've been heavily sprinkled with powdered sugar.  Have you ever noticed how really quiet it is when there's global warming all over the ground?  The silence is quite astonishing.

  If the sun comes out at all today, all of this beautiful global warming will melt away in an hour or two.  So right now, I'm just going to enjoy how beautiful it is and wonder why Hot Air Al hates it so much.

  P.S.  Think I'll take a picture and send it to the grandkids.  Wouldn't want them to miss out on global warming in action.

Well, the most politically correct Oscar ceremony is now history.  There were certainly some no-brainers.

The host of the festivities was Ellen DeGeneres, Hollywood's most famous gay person.

Al Gore's movie won.  Of course it did.  It's a movie on the most politically correct topic of the day, put together by the man Hollywood wanted to win in 2000.  Duh!  The Acadmy wasn't bothered in the least by the fact that it was a work of pure fiction.

Melissa Etheridge's song.  Ditto.  She's gay.  The song was in a movie about global warming.  Duh!  I suppose it would have been bad form not to act surprised.

"Letters from Iwo Jima" was nominated for Best Picture, while "Flags of Our Fathers" was not.  Small surprise that Hollywood preferred the movie from the enemies' perspective rather than from America's.

We heard the word "diversity" all night long, as though diversity is the be all and end all.  Silly me.  I thought the Oscars were to recognize the best, not the far flung.

A moment of genuine sweetness was when Jennifer Hudson won for Best Supporting Actress.  From American Idol reject to Oscar winner.  It doesn't get much sweeter than that.  She even said the word "God" on stage.  Since it wasn't prefacing the word "d**n," the audience probably didn't know what she was talking about.

As entertainment, it was pretty dull.  As farce, it was fabulous.