Bad news all around today. And to add insult to injury, we will be treated to Dubya's vision for America tomorrow.
The filibuster was soundly defeated after only 24 Democrats voted for it. Somehow, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist saw this as a victory of principle over politics:
But Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said the move to cut off debate fulfilled a "very straightforward principle -- a nominee with the support of a majority of senators deserves a fair up-or-down vote."
"The sword of the filibuster has been sheathed because we are placing principle before politics, and results before rhetoric," Frist said.
Frist will be sponsoring a bill to dissolve Congress next week. There will be no debate, just a straight up or down vote. Thank you, Dr. Bill. You are a true patriot.
Continuing the bad news, Dick Cheney turned 65 today and because of Republican "improvements" to Social Security he is still too young to retire.
Exxon records largest profit ever - $10.7 billion. Exxon execs considered this a happy accident since they have no control over the price of oil. Exxon execs are thanking their lucky stars they happened to have plenty of oil on hand to sell when prices soared to $70 per barrel. Of course, windfall profits mean good times for the Republicans too, whose cupboards have been looking a little bare since Abramoff's indictment.
Reporters seem to be getting the worst of it in Iraq. ABC news anchor Bob Woodruff and cameraman Doug Vogt were seriously wounded by a roadside bomb, apparently set by an insurgency said to be "in its last throes" months ago, according to our 65-year old resident guru on WMD and jihadists, Dick Cheney. There is some recent good news to report, though. Woodruff is reported to have opened his eyes. Perhaps the rest of the media will open theirs too.
Bush gets another video greeting from his number two fan. Loosely translated, the message reads "Nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah. You'll never catch me". It's nice to know they are still thinking of him. Zawahri called Bush a "failure" in the war on terror. And we thought he was doing so well.
The U.N. Security Council now gets to deal with the Iranian nuclear problem. As a possible solution to the crisis, the Russians are offering to enrich uranium for Iran for peaceful purposes, of course. The only question remaining is who will nuke Israel for them.
Green Bay fans may have to learn to live without Brett Favre.
Amidst all of the President's assurances that he is using his God-given, I mean constitutional, authority to safeguard Americans without sacrificing anyone's rights, I still have my doubts. I've looked at the adminsitration's report card from the 911 Commission and it doesn't appear that the White House is doing a very good job in either category. And for some strange reason the "implement warrantless domestic surveillance" doesn't show up in the commission's recommendations. Go figure.
The news hasn't been good today. The world is a complicated place getting more complicated every day and we are being guided by a simpleton who does not have the intellect or the principle to lead this nation in the trying times ahead. We will be painfully reminded of that fact tomorrow night.
"Good night and good luck," as one of the last true icons of journalistic integrity would say.