It's a Bird, It's a Plane...

Why The Hillary Hate?

An old friend from college e-mailed me and asked why I'm so anti-Hillary. Here's my response:

I've never been a big fan of the Clintons, going back to their DLC days (moving the party to the right in order to win the White House). She's running as a Progressive now, but I don't believe it. It also bothers me that she's running on her "experience", which mainly consists of being married to Bill. If that's the criteria, then I should be able to run AARP's NoVA office, because my wife does. And I hate, hate, the way that she's running her campaign - so dirty. Don't get me wrong, I'll hold my nose and vote for her if she gets the nomination (despite what Rush Limbaugh says, McCain is no Liberal), but I don't think she'll be able to beat the GOP - she'll actually do a good job of getting more people on the other side motivated to vote against her - the exact opposite of Obama.

This Alone Should Disqualify HRC

Numbers

Just saw this blurb at MyDD:

* NBC News now has Barack Obama up 1,078 to 969 in pledged delegates over Hillary Clinton. After tonight that number could be about 1,128 to 1,009.
* Importantly, though, when you add in the superdelegates, Obama is still projected to lead 1,306 delegates to 1,270.
* Obama could net a gain of 15 to 20 more delegates next week out of Wisconsin and Hawaii.
* If this pace keeps up, Clinton will have to start winning with 60 percent margins nationwide in order to win the nomination.
* At this point, Obama now has received more votes than Clinton -- even when the votes of Florida (where he didn't campaign) and Michigan (where he wasn't even on the ballot) are considered.

Wow

Anyone see the McCain victory speech? CNN showed it following Obama. Wow! Dude looked old. And he was surrounded by old, tired White people. The contrast is amazing.

Why?

Why the hell is MSNBC interviewing Al Sharpton?

More from Dad

At the age of 67 I think I may finally have a glimpse of MLK's
"promised land".

Obama just didn't win in Virginia and Maryland - he kicked major ass. Look at the numbers - in Virginia, 63% to 36%; in Maryland, 68% to 29%. He won the female vote, the black vote, tied the white vote, the male vote. In short, he won!!

From My Dad

"We stood in line for thirty minutes this morning. But we made history!!"

Hope Changes Everything

I Voted

I stood in line for 40 minutes this morning to cast my vote in the Virginia Democratic Primary for Barack Obama. It was pretty exciting, even though I've been voting for 20 years now.

Move On Up

Just want to add another thing about yesterday's Town Hall meeting. Anyone who has "Move On Up" by Curtis Mayfield playing while the crowd is waiting should automatically become President!

No We Can't

 

Fired Up! Ready To Go!

 

He talked about change and hope, of course, but he also got pragmatic, and talked about how he can beat McCain and can get a working majority in Congress to implement his plans. Coattails, in other words.

 

And here he is, entering the gym and working the crowd.

 


Governor Kaine introduced Obama, giving a good portion of his speech in Spanish.

 

The press was caged off in the back of the gym.

 

I'd say about 3,200 people packed the TC Williams Gymnasium. Black and White, Yellow and Brown. Straight and Gay, young and old. It was a party-like atmosphere - everyone was super excited to be there and to see Obama.

Obama in Alexandria

 

We got to TC Williams around 10:00 this morning, and the line was already down to King Street. It ended up going down King Street a few blocks, and then wrapping back around.

In The Neighborhood

Look who was in the neighborhood today:




She was Washington and Lee HS in Arlington, trying to drum up support. Remember, get to the polls on Tuesday and Vote For Change - Obama '08.

What Happened in Cali?

From my friend Adam:

Charlie. I wanted to share my thoughts about the California work we've done and where we'll go from here:

The results were undoubtedly disappointing. We secretly hoped to win, told ourselves we'd be happy to lose by 1-5%, and are down about losing by 10%. The lessons learned are that organization matters more than anything else. The Clintons had big turnout among Latinos, especially in LA. They worked the phones, walked the streets, and dragged people to the polls. We tried to do the same here in the Bay Area, but I think we fell short. The biggest disappointment was the turnout among African-Americans. As I canvassed I walked up to groups of African-American men and asked if they voted, and usually they shrugged or didn't know their polling place or weren't interested. The ground operation wasn't strong enough; there wasn't the groundswell that gets people out of their houses and to the polling places. I hoped this county (Alameda) would be dominant for Obama, with UC Berkeley and Oakland as strong support areas. Instead he only won by 6%.

The lessons are to really organize and get in the communities so that everyone knows and everyone votes. We have to really build up the enthusiasm so it feels like a movement. I think that Clinton is the default candidate, meaning that voters who don't know that much or haven't been paying attention vote for her, because they recognize her name. The way to counter that is with strong enthusiasm. Also, get people involved. The more people at a rally or canvassing, the more it feels like something worth belonging to.

Good luck in the VA and MD primaries.

Why Obama?

Click To Play

Super Tuesday

Just got this from my little brother in San Diego:

Get up.
Think.
Stretch.
Think again.
Begin your normal morning routine.
Think.
Remember.
"I gotta' vote today..."
Think about the tomorrow you truly desire.
Do you want your children to wake up in the same world?
Year, after year, after year....
Think.
"How can I positively affect change today?"

More From Pops

Just got this email from Dad -

Yes We Can!

We can because we must! God calls upon us to use our gifts and talents
for others. The current regime and the ones immediately preceeding it
have forgotten this mandate. We must use our gifts and talents to make
this a better world. I taught you this! I beliieve Obama understands
this!

We Can

Yes We Can

It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.

Yes we can.

It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom.

Yes we can.

It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.

Yes we can.

It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.

Yes we can to justice and equality.

Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.

Yes we can heal this nation.

Yes we can repair this world.

Yes we can.

We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.

We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics...they will only grow louder and more dissonant ........... We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.

But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.

Now the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea --

Yes. We. Can.

A Generational Thing?

SEIU California and MoveOn.org both endorsed Obama today. Both are known as progressive, new school organizations. I just got the following email from a friend of mine who's got ears everywhere:

I've also heard that Sweeney(AFL-CIO) called his decision makers up to the 8th floor yesterday, that they're preparing to endorse Hillary. The HRC ppl I know are saying the same thing

Old school vs. New School?

I've also heard that Ellen Malcolm (head of Emily's List) is threatening Emily's List candidates not to endorse Obama. Emily's List endorsed Clinton a year ago.

My Friends Talk

I emailed just about everyone I know to urge them to vote for Obama. Here are the words of a few:

Charlie,
Sure, I'd love to hear what you have to say about Obama. I have liked him so much ever since I saw him a year or two ago on Oprah. Sophia - Upstate NY

Hey Charlie,

Glad to hear from you. Sounds like you've been a little busy lately. I'm glad you're supporting Obama over Hillary. Although she's a women, and it would be great to have a women in the White House, I agree we're ready for a change. Although I've typically voted Republican, I've really been considering Obama--I like what he says and I like his style.

Sara, Georgia

we couldn't agree more. i already voted for him (absentee). i saw hillary in salinas about a week ago. she didn't do anything for me at all. it's time for a new beginning!! Colleen, Monterey, CA

FYI, I'm an Obama precinct captain here in California. Just heard Ted Kennedy speak. We're working our butts off here in Oakland to get out the vote. If he can win here in CA, he'll be the nominee. Adam, Berkeley, CA

I really thought I was going to vote for Hillary, and
as much as I admire the Clintons' combined ambition to be in the White House
again, I really think it's time for a change too! And thanks for sharing
your dad's words with us. I have been really disturbed by the hatred passed
on to illegal immigrants, which isn't too far from the racism your dad
suffered through - Obama is a reminder that despite the ills of the world,
we are moving forward. It really is inspiring! Liz, Virginia


I'm with you on this one, Charlie. Vicki, Maryland

We're on board and have been for awhile. We donated to Hillary's exploratory committee 3 years ago just to have someone different than the Demo gadflies (Kucinich and Nader) and intelligent on the ballot in 2008, but the bar has been raised and we have seen the future. I've already voted absentee so I keep trying to get the word out to everyone I know, VOTE for hope and change. Kathy, San Diego

The Debate

Just got this e-mail from my father:

I was too young to cast my first vote for JFK in 1960 ( the minimum age
then was 21 and I was only twenty).

I registered to vote in Roanoke, VA, on my twenty first birthday,
August 27, 1961. I had to pass a literacy test (reading from a portion
of the Constitution before some minor functionary). The Voting Rights
Act had not yet been passed.

Thanks be to God, I have lived long enough to see this day!!

Tears are in my eyes!!!

Anyone who can make my dad feel this way has my vote.

I'm also tired of people saying that Obama's "all talk, no substance - what about specifics on issues?". 1st of all, you're damn lazy - ever heard of google? Go to his website and look it up for yourselves - http://www.barackobama.com/issues/. On most things (the vote to go to war being a major difference), Obama and Clinton are quite close. However, she's such a polarizing figure, that even if she were to win, it would be by such a razor thin margin that we'd have another 4 years of bickering back and forth between right and left. Obama really and truly believes in One America, and wants to put an end to the past 16 years of pettiness that we've had to live with.

Another thing - I remember my 1st vote in a Presidential >Election. It was 1988, my 2nd year at UVa, and it was Reagan/Bush vs. Dukakis/Bentsen. Since then, every election we've had has had either a Bush or a Clinton the ballot - we really need a fresh start. Seriously, 30 years with either a Bush or a Clinton in the White House is long enough.

Remember This On Tuesday

Going Home

Obama speaking at the small town in Kansas that his grandparents were from.

Caroline

Kennedy Backs Obama - The Speech

Edwards Drops Out

I like him, but I've been on the Obama wagon since day one. Edwards decision to drop out today totally undermines Clinton's plans on celebrating her "win" in Florida and using the subsequent news stories as momentum for next Tuesday. Edwards must have known this would happen, and it only helps Obama in this news cycle.

Yes We Can!

Obama's victory speech in South Carolina. I dare anyone who plans on voting for HRC to listen to this and tell me he doesn't move you.

Look Who's Home!!!

24 hours and $2100 later, Mr. Kaleb is home, safe and sound!

Kaleb Update

We've been told he's doing okay, and we're to call around 6:00 pm to check in on him. Hopefully, we'll be bringing him home tonight.

So far, so good

Just got a call at 4:21 am from the hospital - Kaleb came through surgery okay. The bone is now in his stomach - it was lodged too tight to pull back out. They're keeping him overnight to make sure his esophagus isn't damaged, so he's not out of the woods yet, but we're feeling a hell of a lot better than we were earlier. Now maybe I can get a couple of hours sleep before heading for work.

Worried

Just got home from the animal hospital. Our dog Kaleb has a small bone stuck in his esophagus and they have to perform an endoscopy to get it out. The doctor didn't have a very good bedside manor. She told us the worse case scenario - that if they can't get it out, they may have to euthanize Kaleb, but we couldn't tell if she thought was going to be necessary or not. She wasn't very friendly - the first vet at Alexandria Animal Hospital we've seen that hasn't been super-friendly and caring with us. We had to take him there 3 years ago for a similar procedure and can't remember being this scared. Again, I hope it was just her tone that has us so worried. We should here from the hospital within the next hour or so (it's about 1:00 am now).

Happy Birthday

Give Him The Ball And He Will Score

Somebody's Gotta Do It!

I can't find anyone, ANYONE, who's giving the Charger's a chance on Sunday vs. the Patriots. I'm sure I'll be the only one at CCSP wearing my Bolts gear, surrounded fake Pats fans. But I'm going to do it - I'm predicting a Chargers victory!

Why?

1)Because I hate the Patriots that much!
2)A few hits by Merriman on Brady in sub-artic condtions and we'll see just how special the pretty boy is.
3)LT is pissed off!
4) All of Rivers mouthing off will keep the Charges warm on their sideline.
5) The "What's Happening" method - on the "Give Me The Odds" episode of What's Happening, Dwayne kept winning the football pool. His method - he picked the team with the better helmet.

Final score - SD 24 - NE 19.

Revolution

Perspective

I just got home from an Obama fundraiser, in a great mood, until I checked my e-mail. My big brother from my fraternity, Dave Lavine, just passed away from lung cancer this morning. He was only a year older than me. Pretty much speechless right now.

And More Ouch!

Props to my buddy Chris who told me about this today during our football game.

Ouch!

To quote Smokey from Friday, "You got knocked the fuck out"!! Damn, that's gotta hurt.

Why aren't they telling the whole story?

So, here's what the media isn't telling you - Obama actually won the delegate battle in New Hampshire - he got 12 to HRC's 11 (he won more precincts, but she got the overall vote), and he's up overall since he won the Iowa caucuses.

Question?

So how does a 16 point lead a week or so ago become a comeback with a 3 point win? All props to HRC for winning, but the media is really making me sick. 1st, she's gonna win. Then Obama's gonna win. Now she's the comback kid? Puhleeze.

They don't get it

Too Young

My little brother wrote this poem for/about his daughter, my niece Maya:

too young

though she is too young to vote,

she breezes through magazine and newspaper,

her eyes full of hope.

she says she sees herself in him,

she sings praises to his strange name.

she says, 'daddy all those men,

and even that lady,

to me all look the same.'

i believe she's right as she learns to write,

she says, 'O like Oscar, B like Big Bird, A like apple, M like my name, A for animal,'

i tell her i'm so proud of her,

she sings gospeldelic hymns for him.

we parade around the house pretending we are at the victory parade on pennsylvania avenue.

and she sings, 'President Obama...'

The Speech

Got Hope?

Finally, I can actually believe that he can do it. In the whitest of white places, Obama won. No matter what else happens, I'll be able to tell my kids that they can grow up and be president and actually mean it.

And here we go

Playoffs, baby!

Hail to the Redskins. 27-6 over the Cowboys!!! Seattle, here we come.

Merry Christmas!

Milad Majid, Feliz Navidad, Feliz Natal, Glædelig Jul, Vrolijk Kerstfeest, Joyeux Noel, Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara, Nollaig Shona Dhuit, Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok

Remember, it's not the gifts you get, it's the people you love! Merry Christmas everyone.

What I Want for Christmas

All I want this year for Christmas is to hang out with all of my friends and family and have some good times. That'll all start tomorrow night, my FW is taking me to dinner for my birthday. On Friday - I'm going to Eamon's Chipper with J. Garrett for a few pints o' the black stuff and some fish and chips, then to Dr. Dremo's for my birthday party Friday night.

If you're going to be in the DC area over the holidays, let's get together - I'm feeling pretty festive!

Pop Quiz!!

In 2m 20s

Click here to Play

1 - Nil to the Arsenal!

He's The Man

I-25

 

Just got back to Cheyenne after spending the day in Casper. 3 hours to get there, 2 hour meeting, and 3 hours to get back. It was a beautiful drive, and I think I made history. Do you think there's ever been a black man driving a Volvo SUV from Cheyenne to Casper jamming to The Gap Band?

Wyoming

Getting ready to drive 2.5 hours to Casper for a 1.5 hour meeting. Doesn't really make much sense, but this is a huge state, compared to the states on the east coast. A few things I've noticed - despite how flat it looks, Cheyenne is pretty elevated. How do I know this? My shaving cream is flat - no foam, and my cologne doesn't spay out of the bottle, it just dribbles out. Good times.

MNF

So I'm watching Monday Night Football, and Baltimore is doing a great job on NE so far. One question, what's with the Zeppelin tunes whenever they go to a commercial or come back? I love it!

On another note, I watched Sean Taylor's funeral today on my computer at work. So very sad. It was just about a year ago that we buried my mother-in-law and just over 2 years ago that my cousin took his life. The funeral brought back a lot of sad memories for me, and also made me think about how much my little brother has changed his life since he met his wife and especially since his little girl was born 2 years ago. The love of another person is a very powerful thing.

I'm headed to Wyoming tomorrow, for work. Not really looking forward to it. It's a difficult assignment and it's gonna be but cold! I'll post once I get there.

#21

a parenthetical God

I just got this from my good friend Mana, whom I've known since my 1st year in college, 21 years ago. I'm going to see her for the 1st time in years next week in Denver (I'm going to Wyoming for work, and will make a pit stop on the way home in the Mile High City).

Last night I couldn't get to sleep. My mind was racing, probably from one too many Lavazza espressos after 5 pm. When I finally got to sleep, I had the funniest dream.

I dreamt that I died and went to Heaven and when I got there God and all my dead relatives gave me a roast, commemorating all my years on earth. Everybody was a comedian. My relatives recounted stories of my childhood and everybody had a good laugh. I was surprised to find that I was really diggin this soiree. Then at the end, just when I thought the festivities were coming to an end, God got up to say a few words. I thought to myself that his speech was really sort of half-assed. I mean He was GOD, afterall. He could have come up with something a little better. Its not like he hadn't had all the time in the world! But I quickly put that thought out of my head b/c I didn't want Him to read my mind and then change HIS mind about letting me into Heaven. Anyway, after he was done with his half-assed speech, he said, "And now, without further adieu, I give you, the photo montage!!!!" Everybody clapped. What the fuck? What was the photo montage?

This gigantic curtain opened up and before my very eyes, there was this beautiful montage of these amazing little moments in my life. "Nobody could have taken these pictures but GOD himself!", I marveled. They were candid little pearls of happy times in my life when no one else was watching, no one but GOD. There was the picture of me hugging my kitty cat when I was a kid, opening up my acceptance letter to medical school (there was only one of those), kissing an old lover (we were married in our hearts). There were funny pictures too. Me checking out that barista's ass at the small independently owned coffee shop on the downtown mall in Charlottesville; Virginia, getting my stiletto heel stuck in that grate in Manhattan and almost fucking killing myself; sending Arthur Weinstein a not-so-flattering limerick about his professorial abilities, or lack thereof. God thought that one was particularly funny and said parenthetically that even though Weinstein was a jew, he wasn't one of His chosen people. God thought that my lame professor "got what was coming to him. "This dude ROCKS!", I thought to myself.

I liked how parenthetical God was. Very random. And quite hilarious. All in all, an excellent public speaker. I was ashamed that I hadn't given him his due credit at the end of his speech earlier that night. Even now, he was constantly teaching me things. Wow.

At the end God thanked everyone for coming and admitted coyly that he had gotten his idea about the photo montage from myspace. He again added parenthetically that despite this good idea, he thought that myspace was created by Satan himself. He also thanked Maria Sharapova's great Aunt, Ludmilla, for introducing him to the Canon brand of cameras. He said he had used pentax before but was really excited about Canon's new "image stabilization" feature. He added again, parenthetically, that despite his pure love for Maria Sharapova, he really hated her dog, Dolce, a pomeranian. He was sure that Dolce was the spawn of a pomeranian and a jackel and mumbled something about genetics and "incomplete penetrance". I didn't get that part. I was never particularly good at genetics.

All in all it was a good night. And I only hope that the real God is as cool as the one in my dream. " 'For my God is a parenthetical God."...

Happy Thanksgiving

For all things bright and beautiful,
For all things dark and mysterious and lovely,
For all things green and growing and strong,
For all things weak and struggling to push up life through rocky earth,
For all human faces, hearts, minds, and hands
Which surround us,
And for all non-human minds and hearts, paws
And claws, fins and wings,
For this Life and the life of the world,
For all that you have before us, O God,
We lay our thankful hearts before you.

Dad, these are for you.

Some of my favorite memories from childhood involved sitting in the basement with my dad, eating peanuts, drinking soda and watching TV. Hey Dad, remember these?

The economy isn't doing so great.

For the past few weeks, I've been watching the value of my 401k stocks fall, and fall, and fall a little more. For example check these out:

VEURX Nov 15 40.95 Down 0.63 Down 1.52%

VEXPX Nov 15 78.09 Down 1.00 Down 1.26%

VGENX Nov 15 80.26 Down 1.84 Down 2.24%



Now, you can see that they're still doing pretty good in the long term, but the economy works on emotions, not raw data. And emotionally, I'm sure a lot of folks are also looking at their stock prices daily and getting pretty ansy.

A Cure's Been Found!

You know, he really is an idiot.

thanks to Talking Points Memo

Worst President of All Time

I just want to quote the awesome Gene Weingarten from the Washington Post:

Nothing funny here, just an observation: I believe the situation in Pakistan has finally, inarguably cemented W's hold on "Worst President of All Time." He has managed to put this country in the position internationally that we can do nothing about -- cannot even publicly criticize -- a monster who has arrested his country's Supreme Court, jailed opposition party members, closed TV stations and newspapers and suspended constitutional elections in a power grab more audacious than anything Hitler ever did. Any last shred of a suggestion that Bush's administration at least stands for the noble philosophy of spreading freedom? Gone. Bush is a disgrace. A malevolence. An utter failure. A purulent pustule.

Thank you.

Obama Interview

Wow!!!!

Pictures from Ken10

My little brother just sent me the following pictures from San Diego:

Perfection

Great news!

Just got this text from my little brother:

Word. Praise jah! Mayor Just said we can go home! We wil prbly wait jst to be safe. Wil keep u postd.

The latest

Cell phone service out of San Diego has been spotty, so my little brother has been texting me with updates. They were able to pack up both cars and get to Maggie's parent's house in Scripps Ranch, only to be ordered to evacuate again later in the day. It's truly sad, especially as their house burned down in the fire a few years ago and was just rebuilt. The latest text I got from him said

"We are safe at the Smith's (his in-laws) friend's house in La Jolla. Watchin' the news. Still don't know what to xpct. My fon dont work. Txts yes."

Proving that he still has a sense of humor, he sent me this pic of himself yesterday, looking like he just robbed someone, but the bandana was so he could breath with all the smoke and ash in the air.

Your prayers are needed

I'm asking anyone reading this to please pray for my little brother, his family and everyone else dealing with the wildfires in California. I just got a call from my mother telling me my brother was packing up their 2 cars along with his wife and baby girl and evacuating their house.

Hoo's that beatin' those Terps?

UVa 18 - UMd 17

Thought this was appropriate today

How Cool Is This!?!?!?

One of the newer features of Netflix is that you can watch a large number of DVDs online. Just now, playing around with this feature, I found one of my favorite shows from my childhood - "Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot". Awesome!!

The Weekend

I spent the weekend doing two of my favorite things, drinking beer and playing sports. I had 2 flag football games, one soccer game and Oktoberfest in Shirlington. 30 some breweries, warm weather and tons of people. Good times!

Don't Be Surpised When We're Overrun By Zombies

So, did everyone hear about the meteorite that fell in Peru, causing nearby villagers to get sick? Here's a recap:

A fireball fell from the sky and slammed into southern Peru over the weekend, creating a huge crater that emitted a sickeningly smelly gas, local authorities said. More than 600 villagers fell ill, the Peruvian radio network RPP reported Tuesday.

Video reports from the scene, near the remote Andean village of Carancas along Peru's border with Bolivia, showed what appeared to be a 100-foot-wide (30-meter-wide), 20-foot-deep (6-meter-deep) impact crater with a bubbling pool of water at the bottom.

Authorities said that the crater was made Saturday by a falling meteorite. Agence France Presse quoted a local official, Marco Limache, as saying that "boiling water started coming out of the crater, and particles of rock and cinders were found nearby."

Limache told RPP that the gases emanating from the crater caused nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches and stomach pain — so much so that authorities were considering calling a state of emergency. The newspaper La Republica reported that seven policemen became ill and were taken to a hospital.

Seriously, isn't this how every Zombie movies starts? Time to stock up on shotgun shells and bottled water folks!

3 to 1, we beat the Scum!!

Wenger's kids may well have been overawed by the presence of Thierry Henry in his final two years at the club as they are now playing with a freedom that was absent when all the focus was on the legendary No.14. This team are title contenders who will get better as the season moves on.

No one says it better than the Insider!

The True Game Plan

I read this yesterday and have to say I agree:

The Administration's game plan in Iraq is clear. We'll stay in Iraq until the last possible minute and then spend the next 30 years claiming that we only lost because the liberals and the media failed to support the war. You might be surprised by how many people other than Bush have made this exact claim about Vietnam. I'll go ahead and start the rumor that dirty hippies spit on the returning Iraq veterans right now.

Prediction

Today is September 11th, and I predict that during the President's speech today, he will once again say that the war we're in in Iraq is because of the attack on us on 9/11/01. Count how many times he mentions Afghanistan to how many times he mentions Iraq.

Good and Bad

The good - a Monday Night Football Doubleheader. The bad - who are these jokers doing the 2nd game? They're horrible!!

Quote of the Day

"(Notre Dame football coach) Charlie Weis still has more contract
extentions than truly significant victories".

Adam Kilgore, The Washington Post

Any computer geniuses out there?

I just bought the latest expansion pack for my favorite game, Medieval: Total War II and I get these error messages when I try to install Medi II Kingdoms:

"This update cannot be continued," This 1.03.000 update cannot be applied
to the 1.00.000 version of the game," and "Failed to apply updates to Medieval
II: Total War. Aborting installation."

Anyone reading this know how to fix it?

Update

Nerd that I am, I figured it out myself. I 1st had to delete my old version of Medieval II, then reload it (also had to delete the folder and files that were left after the deletion). Then I downloaded patches 1.1 and 1.2 (1.2 took over 3 hours to download, and I have a cable modem!). Once those things are done, the game loaded perfectly.

Read your mail

If you happen to get some mail from the manufacturer of your automobile, I strongly advise you to read it. I got some mail a month or so ago from Saab and ignored it. Oops - it was about a recall on my model. And the other morning, the part in question (the starter) went kaput. I've arranged for it to be fixed Monday morning.

Oh yeah!!!

Can't wait for this one!

Good Times With Arsenal

This is my kind of practice!

Perfect Saturday

It's gorgeous outside, and what am I doing? My fantasy football auction of course!!


* UPDATE

Here's my team:

Pos	Name	Team	Bye	Salary
QB	Vince Young	Titans (TEN)	4	10
RB	Michael Bennett	Chiefs (KAN)	8	2
RB	Willis McGahee	Ravens (BAL)	8	79
WR	Joey Galloway	Buccaneers (TAM)	10	8
WR	Steve Smith	Panthers (CAR)	7	39
TE	Heath Miller	Steelers (PIT)	6	16
R/W/T	Julius Jones	Cowboys (DAL)	8	14
K	David Akers	Eagles (PHI)	5	1
DEF	New England Patriots	Patriots (NWE)	10	5
B-QB	Tony Romo	Cowboys (DAL)	8	10
B-QB	Brett Favre	Packers (GNB)	7	1
B-RB	Correll Buckhalter	Eagles (PHI)	5	3
B-WR	Matt Jones	Jaguars (JAC)	4	2
B-WR	Brandon Lloyd	Redskins (WAS)	4	3
B-TE	Ben Troupe	Titans (TEN)	4	1
B-K	John Carney	Saints (NOR)	4	1
B-DEF	Green Bay Packers	Packers (GNB)	7	2

For my co-workers

For the love of God, if the self-flushing toilet doesn't flush, push the damn button!

That is all.

Mr. Beckham Comes to DC

Folks, this is what a sold out RFK stadium looks like for a proper football match. Yes, most of the people came to see #23, but a good time was had by all as your DC United won 1-0. A full write up tomorrow.

756

Why are steroids worse for the game than the exclusion of black players until 1947? Should Babe Ruth's records also be removed since he never had to hit against the best black pitchers of his time?

Obama's Foreign Policy Speech

Obama just gave a speech outlining his foreign policy vision. Very impressive, here's an excerpt:

Just because the President misrepresents our enemies does not mean we do not have them. The terrorists are at war with us. The threat is from violent extremists who are a small minority of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims, but the threat is real. They distort Islam. They kill man, woman and child; Christian and Hindu, Jew and Muslim. They seek to create a repressive caliphate. To defeat this enemy, we must understand who we are fighting against, and what we are fighting for...

The President would have us believe that every bomb in Baghdad is part of al Qaeda's war against us, not an Iraqi civil war. He elevates al Qaeda in Iraq – which didn't exist before our invasion – and overlooks the people who hit us on 9/11, who are training new recruits in Pakistan. He lumps together groups with very different goals: al Qaeda and Iran, Shiite militias and Sunni insurgents. He confuses our mission...

By refusing to end the war in Iraq, President Bush is giving the terrorists what they really want, and what the Congress voted to give them in 2002: a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences.

When I am President, we will wage the war that has to be won, with a comprehensive strategy with five elements: getting out of Iraq and on to the right battlefield in Afghanistan and Pakistan; developing the capabilities and partnerships we need to take out the terrorists and the world's most deadly weapons; engaging the world to dry up support for terror and extremism; restoring our values; and securing a more resilient homeland.

Friday Night Music

What Might Have Been

Pix from California

We went out west to attend the wedding of our friend's Adam and Dede in Oakland. We went to Montery first to visit our good friends, Colleen and Santi (Amber's old roommates and 2 of our favorite people). Thursday was spent at a day spa - it was totally the wives' idea, I swear!! We drove up the Pacific Coast Highway on Friday, taking the long, scenic route to Berkeley/Oakland. The wedding was on Saturday night, so we had Saturday morning to take the ferry over to San Francisco and hang out at the Farmer's Market.