I'm really quite mystified by why anyone would listen to George W.'s lies about Iraq anymore. He wants to push the end of the war to the next administration, make it some other person's and/or party's problem, and escape from the presidency without taking responsibility for the damage he has done to the U.S. He wants to get out of the presidency the same way he got out of the Texas Rangers -- by letting all the problems slip off his back. You don't need to analyze his speach to understand that. You don't need to listen to a laundry list of justifications for sending more people to die in Iraq. You don't need to listen to "stay the course" dressed up as "surge." Find something better to do -- read a book, hug a child, play with a pet, hold someone's hand -- we need all the positive energy we can get these days.

I'm going to end this disorganized post with a long quote from my TV-news-magazine-boyfriend, Keith Olbermann:

OLBERMANN: President Bush makes no secret of his distaste for looking backward, for assessing past results. But in our third story on the COUNTDOWN tonight, and his speech coming up at the top of the hour, that will not be possible. Any meaningful assessment of the president‘s next step in Iraq must consider his steps and missteps so far.

So, let‘s look at the record. Before Mr. Bush was elected he said he was no nation builder. Nation building was wrong for America. Now he says it is vital for America. He said he would never have put U.S. troops under foreign control. Today U.S. troops observe Iraqi restrictions.

He told us about WMDs, mobile labs, secret sources, aluminum tubing, yellow cake. He has told us the war is necessary because Saddam was a threat, because of 9/11, because of Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda, because of terrorism in general, to liberate Iraq, to spread freedom, to spread democracy, to keep the oil out of the hands of potentially terrorist controlled states, because this was a guy who tried to kill his dad.

In pushing for and prosecuting this war, he passed on chances to get Abu Musab al Zarqawi, Moqtada al Sadr, Osama bin Laden. He sent in fewer troops than recommended. He disbanded the Iraqi army and deBaathified the government. He short changed Iraqi training. He did not plan for widespread looting, nor the explosion of sectarian violence. He sent in troops without life saving equipment, gave job to foreign contractors and not the Iraqis, staffed U.S. positions in Iraq based on partisanship, not professional experience.

We learned that America had prevailed, mission accomplished, the resistance was in its last throws. He has said that more troops were not necessary and more troops are necessary, and that it‘s up to the generals, and then removed some of the generals who said more troops would be necessary.

He told us of turning points, the fall of Baghdad, the death of Uday and Qusay, the capture of Saddam, a provisional government, the trial of Saddam, a charter, a constitution, an Iraqi government, elections, purple fingers, a new government, the death of Saddam. We would be greeted as liberators with flowers, as they stood up, we would stand down. We would stay the course. We would never stay the course. The enemy was al Qaeda, was foreigners, was terrorist, was Baathists.

The war would pay for itself. It was cost 1.7 billion dollars, 100 billion, 400 billion, half a trillion dollars. And after all of that, today it is his credibility versus that of generals, diplomats, allies, Republicans, Democrats, the Iraq Study Group, past presidents, voters last November, and the majority of the American people.

Don't listen to any more lies.

Happy 2007 everyone! My husband and I celebrated the end of 2006 with the First Annual Breaching the Web New Year's Eve Pink Champagne Monopoly Challenge. It was hard-fought, and at one moment I was down to only $6 in cash while rounding that last stretch of the board -- where he had houses on Boardwalk, Park Place, and all those upper-class green properties. But in the end, I picked myself up by my bootstraps and scrambled out of the slums (the first property I bought in the game was Baltic Avenue, and I eventually put a very nice, clean, well-maintained hotel on it) to win the game!

We finished the game at 11:55, just in time to turn on Dick Clark and watch the ball drop and toast with the last of the champagne. It was a lovely evening.

2007 started off very well, with a cheese strata, fruit salad and sparkling apple cider for brunch, and several hours of crafty activities for me. The strata is a family recipe that we call "The Christmas Omelet" because my mom used to make it every Christmas morning. It's very simple, but very good.

Ingredients
8 slices white bread
1/2 pound grated cheddar cheese
4 beaten eggs (or 8 ounces eggbeaters)
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
salt

Directions:

Butter bread. Stack slices up in two piles and cut crusts off. Cut each slice in half. Place bread in buttered casserole in layers –alternating with grated cheese.

Mix everything else. Pour over bread & refrigerate over night.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Serve immediately, because it will fall. Make sure to scrape the yummy crusty brown bits off of the sides and bottom of the pan.