What's the news from Iraq?

Deadliest attacks on Iraqi security forces since Saddam fell

January elections? How?

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And here's an item sure to inspire hope for the Middle East:

Peace plan summit

GEORGE W. Bush and Tony Blair will try to thrash out a new Middle East peace plan as Yasser Arafat's health hangs in the balance.

They've done such a fine job in Iraq...

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A little talked about consequence of Bush's election:

US ready to put weapons in space


Oil wells in Alaska, weapons in space, democracy in Iraq, clean skies in America, religion in schools (and government): what further delights lay in store for us!

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Gay community fears new era of intolerance

Because, after all, Bush's clear mandate is also a license for hate and bigotry to his constituents. Bush isn't likely to call out the National Guard to protect them.

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Evidence Mounts That The Vote May Have Been Hacked

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U.S. Marines in Iraq break pre-battle tension with chariot race

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San Francisco: No Mood for Tolerance After Bush Win

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US unrepentant for Macedonia name recognition, warns citizens in Greece of animosity

How to win friends and influence allies, or in other words, Ride'em, Cowboy! Where's our horse whisperer?

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More pre-emptive strikes on the table

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Inoffensive, ineffective

"Democrats lose because they are unwilling to embrace the principles of their own party. Poverty is a moral issue, too. So is the right to basic medical care, a job, decent housing, safe streets, and a clean environment. If Kerry had projected half the passion about those issues that Bush did about abortion and homosexuality, this race might have been about big ideas, instead of a protracted series of skirmishes in a culture war that Democrats cannot win."

While I lament the impulse to blame Kerry, as I've said elsewhere on this blog, I do think more attention should be given to Democratic values.

So we have Bush for another four years. Fortunately many of us enjoy a good fight. Assuming we are a free nation then, 2008 will reflect a backlash that is sure to follow four years of Bush's bungled public policy.

We've got a firm start toward a liberal base that we can build on. Of course we will have to purge our party of the Zell Miller wannabes first, but if we keep in mind that almost half of the electorate voted for the "most liberal senator in history," we should do well.

Meanwhile, wouldn't it be funny if - after all the soul searching by wavering Democrats who buy into the Republican spin that we need to embrace God to win an election - it turned out that the election was rigged? (Call me paranoid, but I think it quite plausible.)

So, we are beaten but not down. We can afford to take a bit of time now and again to snicker at Bush. It's fine spectator sport. If he continues in the same vein of courting the religous radicals, his own party may beat us to the task of tearing him down.

So don't forget our mantra for the next few years: backlash, backlash, backlash. If I've learned anything in a lifetime of watching American politics, it's that every extreme movement produces an extreme backlash. Get on its tail, donkeys!

Kerry would do well not to concede until at least Nov. 17. These election results are unbelievable.

Tomorrow is the day we discover whether America still has a soul. If Bush is elected, we have put our fears ahead of our hopes.

If you're still undecided, please take a moment to consider the ramifications of your vote.

To help you out, here's a couple of resources:

The Non-Arguable Case Against the Bush Administration

Newspaper and Media Endorsements

Compelling reasons for me, personally, to vote for Kerry/Edwards revolve around the unjustness of our pre-emptive war against Iraq. No matter that Saddam has been deposed; it was done at the cost of the lives of over 1000 American soldiers and the astonishing number of over 100,000 Iraqi lives.

This was a war of choice, not necessity. Not only was it morally wrong to attack Iraq, it was also a distraction from our real enemy. It has not made us safer - quite the contrary. Our enemies have increased dramatically, and they are angrier and more organized than ever. Bin Laden taunts us from his safe sanctuary while he plots his next move. What supreme folly!

We can't afford a to elect a bronc-busting cowboy when what's needed is a horse whisperer. Finesse will accomplish more than brute bullying. John Kerry is the perfect antidote to Bush.

So get out there and do your bit for our democracy. We don't want to be crying about only missing a good thing after it's gone, do we? VOTE!