Catching Up!

Wow, it's been a month since my last update! Let me catch up on current events:

Some thoughts on the Congressional Mid-Term election in November:

First, I had the unique opportunity of watching American elections while overseas. Germany, to be precise. It was odd and exhilirating at the same time. Not only were the Europeans interested in the elections, they had strong opinions about them. They weren't entirely factually accurate on the elections, with many thinking that George Bush was on the ballot, but that didn't stop them from having strong opinions. Almost everyone that I met that learned that I was an American wanted to share their opinion of the elections with me. Jointly, their opinions on the War in Iraq. The overwhelmingly unanimous consensus: the war was wrong and the Democrats needed to win the election to change things in America. As you can imagine, it was an interesting week to be a Republican overseas! I didn't argue with anyone. I just listened to their viewpoint and soaked in their culture.

Second, boy did I call that election wrong. I had hopes right up to Monday night that the Republican base would turn out strong and just eke out a victory in both branches. Surely in the Senate. Boy was I wrong.

Third, it's clear that the dominating issue was the war in Iraq. And, on those grounds and several others, the Republicans did truly deserve to lose the elections. The occupation which followed the triumphant overthrow of Sadaam has been waged very poorly, and Americans will not long suffer losing. I, like many Republicans, was discouraged that it has not been waged more aggressively to victory. "Staying the Course" was a terrible slogan masking a horribly misguided policy of stalemate and drip-drip-drip attrition of our troops needlessly. Fight it and win it was the right answer, but President Bush and his cabinet failed to make that case and they lost the Congress as a result.

Fourth, saying that the Republicans deserved to win does not in any way mean that the Democrats deserved to win. They have no policy on Iraq except surrender. And the policies that they do have on domestic agendas are going to take the country in a completely wrong direction.

America, do you know what you have wrought in expressing your displeasure on the War by handing over the Congress to the Democrats?!!! I think not, at least not in it's full scope. I know what we have to look forward to: higher taxes, an emasculated military, appeasement to terrorists and dictators, a further slide down the slope on social issues, judges that wreak havoc with social engineering, etc. It's predictible, and it's already started.

Take today's resignation by the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton. Democrats threw a hissy fit and denied the appointment to Bolton in his Senate hearings. The complaint: he was too mean to be effective in a diplomatic post. All kinds of horrors would ensue. His supporters believed he was just the kind of bulldog we needed at the U.N. to protect America's interests in that corrupt and ineffective organization. President Bush appointed him anyway. It's a year later and we can judge his performance - excellent in all regards and effective at pushing needed reforms at the U.N. Democrats, giddy with newly re-acquired Congressional power, will not admit they were wrong and will block his renomination. So, recongizing reality in the new Congress, Bolton resigned and President Bush accepted it. The result will be a congenial and totally ineffective replacement who will succeed at dinner parties and appeasment. Great. Nice job, America.

I'll try to post more often.