Strange Bedfellows

Listening to the two leading presidential contenders for the Democratic Party, you can't help but conclude that Al Qaeda in Iraq will be rooting for them. Hillary Clinton said, "I really resent" the probability that U.S. troops will remain on Iraqi soil when the next administration (hers, presumably) takes office.

Barack Obama, meanwhile, has come up with a "plan" to withdraw all American soldiers by the end of March 2008. Obama, who has no foreign policy experience (except a heavily hyped junket to Africa last summer), says this will force the shaky democratic government to get serious and take responsibility for running the country. Yes, and I'm sure the terrorists will be happy to step back and let the democracy get its feet on the ground!

Let's see–Clinton, Obama, and the thugs all agree: American forces must leave Iraq. Is it a good thing to find yourself agreeing with the terrorists?

Easy to Hold

The easiest thing to hold in the world is an uninformed opinion.

Take Their Keys

Over the weekend there were two fatal auto accidents involving teens in the Chicago area. The latest carnage comes on the heels of a very bad year for young drivers. Young drivers should, apparently, never drive with their friends in the car. If we want to put an end to this all too predictable carnage, we need to take their keys away, except for legitimate reasons such as going to work.

Bumper Stickers Not Seen

"Give a Bloodbath a Chance"

"Gear" Heads

Now I know why the NFL adds an extra week between the conference championships and the Super Bowl: so that it can sell more "gear."

Put on Gratefulness

If you're tempted to feel sorry for yourself today, take a minute to list some of the things you have that you don't deserve. Do you have a spouse? Children? Other family? Friends? A home? Your health? A job that pays the bills? Meaningful challenges? A car (or two)? Do you know God–or, better yet, does He know you?

Now think about those less fortunate than you. The poor, the sick, the lost, the lonely. Are you any better than they?

Now think about the absolute miracle that you are here, amid the limitless stellar void, on a small, blue planet with all the conditions tuned just right for life, at a time in history when all your needs and most of your wants can be fulfilled, when you have more choices than the ancient kings.

Instead of self-pity, choose to put on gratefulness today.

NHL?

Did anyone notice that the National Hockey League held its all-star game last night, a weeknight? Did anyone notice there still is an NHL?

Failure and Fear

If you think there is a challenge out there you are gifted for and called to attempt, then do it. Don't wait until you are too old and then can only say, "I wish I had tried that." Let's face it. Failure is better than fear.

Finishing Kick

President Bush, with the lowest approval ratings of his presidency, speaks tonight to the American people, who are largely tired of the Iraq war and sick of him. He faces hostility from the Democratic-controlled Congress and a media already handicapping the 2008 race.

He needs to show vision, flexibility, and resolve. Bush needs to remind the American people–and our enemies–why we are in Iraq, why terrorism is still a threat, and what he plans to do going forward.

Don't bore us with a laundry list of policy proposals touching every aspect of the bureaucracy. Keep it short and sweet, and from the heart. It's time to seize the initiative. Ronald Reagan was similarly down at this point in his presidency (remember Iran-Contra?) and finished strong. It's time for you to show your finishing kick.

Bush League

At the tail end of an electrifying 88-yard touchdown reception, the sensational Saints rookie running back Reggie Bush turned and taunted the proud Bears defense. The Bears got the last laugh, crushing Bush and the Saints, 39-14. I guess that's why they call such behavior Bush league.

San Francisco Family Values

A California state legislator from the Bay Area is trying to introduce a bill to outlaw spanking young children, calling it a form of child abuse. San Francisco already is struggling with a shortage of families with young children, both because of the astronomical costs there, as well as a culture that is not exactly friendly to traditional familes (i.e., those with a mom, a dad, and kids).

Is criminalizing a sometimes necessary form of parental discipline really the best way to bring families back? And is this lunacy what Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker from San Francisco, means by family values?

Tarnished Idol

The other night Christine and I were getting ready to watch a videotape. While we were setting things up, American Idol was on. Simon and the other judges were mercilessly tearing apart a series of hopefuls, driving one sensitive-looking guy to tears. I'm the last person to say America needs any more "idols," at least of the performing type. But now I see another reason for the popularity of Idol. It is the attraction of bloodsport, like watching the Romans feed the Christians to the lions.

Of course, many of the contestants have no business performing, being of limited talent at best. But they are baited by promises of fame and fortune into appearing on the show, and Simon and Co. evidently delight in shredding these women and men, made in the image of God, before a national audience.

And it seems no one cares about this heavily hyped brutality. But I do have an ally, one Rosie O'Donnell, who also finds the show disgusting. Normally someone I disagree with 99 percent of the time, today she is right on the mark in decrying the cruelty of Idol. Thank you, Rosie. Keep preaching it.

The Underwhelming Agenda

House Democrats are reporting a sudden rash of sprained shoulders after completing their ballyhooed "100-hour" legislative blitz. If Nancy Pelosi and fellow House leaders have their way, the minimum wage will go up, costing low-wage jobs while helping the unions. Gas and oil will cost more, the federal government will fund more ethically and medically dubious embryonic stem-cell research, and yet another meaningless ethics reform bill will be passed.

That's it? Count me underwhelmed. After all this self-congratulatory back-patting, the Dems have shown themselves to be the party of small ideas, of hackneyed cliches. Next on the agenda? Let's pull out all the stops and shoot for school uniforms.

Say It Ain't So, Mike

Mike Ditka, a Hall of Fame player and coach for the Chicago Bears, said this week he doesn't have a "rooting interest" in this Sunday's NFC championship game between the Bears and New Orleans Saints. On one level, that impartiality is understandable. Ditka coached for three forgettable seasons in New Orleans. But on another, it isn't. "Iron Mike" is synonymous with Bears football, and he has probably made more money from Bears fans (via restaurants, endorsements, and announcing gigs) since his retirement as coach than he ever did while walking the sidelines.

Now, however, Ditka says he doesn't care what "anyone" thinks. That's fine, but he shouldn't expect the free ride from Chicagoans any more. I just hope the "Superfans" don't have a "grabber" when they hear.

Too Much of a Good Thing

Last week a Sacramento radio station held a contest. Contestants were competing for a hot new video game. The rules? Whoever drank the most bottled water without going to the bathroom would be the winner. Unfortunately, no one remembered the inconvenient medical fact that too much of a good thing, even water, can be deadly. And indeed one of the contestants died of water intoxication. Even the winner became ill.

The only question is whether the deceased woman should be nominated posthumously for a Darwin Award. My vote would be for the station's promotions director.

Bad Boys

On Sunday, after the San Diego Chargers gave the playoff game away to the New England Patriots, Chargers all-everything running back LaDainian Tomlinson accused the Pats of having "no class." Their sin? Stealing the "lights out" victory dance of teammate Shawn Merriman (who, incidentally, was suspended four games during the regular season for using performance-enhancing steroids), therefore showing "disrespect."

Here's an idea. No more victory dances. If you want to dance, try out for the Rockettes.

King and Sports

Today, on Martin Luther King Day, the civil rights leader's dream remains only partly fulfilled. One of the bright spots of American society King may not have anticipated enjoys full integration and operates almost completely on merit. It is not politics, or academia, or even the business world. It is sports.

Two of the remaining four pro football coaches are African American, but the most heartening thing to me is the hugging and celebrating of players from all kinds of ethnic backgrounds, who come together for a common purpose ... victory. In most sports, it doesn't matter the color of your skin, but the size of your brain and strength of your heart.

Peyton Plays

Peyton Manning won another playoff game yesterday after another uninspiring postseason performance. Does this mean we have to put up with one more week of his equally bad commercials?

Time to Grow Up

Arizona Senator John McCain, criticizing those in both parties who want to start withdrawing troops from Iraq, said yesterday that they "have a responsibility to tell us what they believe are the consequences of withdrawal in Iraq. If we walk away from Iraq, we'll be back, possibly in the context of a wider war in the world's most volatile region." It's good to know there are still some adults on Capitol Hill.

Opposing whatever the president proposes is no longer an option for the Democrats. They now have the responsibility to advocate policies in the national interest. And today would be a good time to start.

Hell-Bent

Yesterday the Democratic-controlled House pushed through a bill that would expand federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research, even though adult stems cells and those safely derived from amniotic fluid (see Monday's Thought of the Day) show more promise–and without the ethical problem of killing human embryos. President Bush has promised to veto all such measures. Let's hope he keeps his word.

The Democratic leaders appear to be hell-bent on proving a point, namely, that human life is disposable if it serves what they deem as the greater good. No one, it seems, will tell them what to do when it comes to life issues and bioethics, no matter how clear and compelling the reasons. To these Democrats, since they can do something, they should do something, and to hell with anyone who tries to stop them, for moral or pragmatic reasons. Heaven help us all.

Not Ready for Prime Time Player

Political neophyte Barack Obama, who opposes the Bush plan to send more troops into Iraq to secure Baghdad, says his staff is looking into ways to cut funding for the troops without adversely affecting the troops. Right. And his staff will next look at ways to raise income taxes without hurting taxpayers. And to think, we have to put up with at least two more years of nonsense from Senator Obama, who clearly isn't ready for prime time.

Hall of Shame?

A few thoughts on yesterday's vote on the Hall of Fame by members of the Baseball Writers of America:

Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken: Two great players who were justifiably voted in on the first ballot. The only question is why a few malcontents decided not to make them unanimous selections. If these two aren't certified Hall of Famers, who is?

Mark McGwire: Garnering just 25 percent of the vote, the steroid-powered slugger fell far short of Cooperstown. Good. There's a reason they call steroids "performance-enhancing." Cheaters should not receive this honor.

Goose Gossage, Jim Rice, Lee Smith, and Andre Dawson: Four great players deemed unworthy by the writers. Relievers never get any respect from the writers, no matter how dominant, but just how dominant do you have to be to get in? Making obvious candidates wait until they are too old to enjoy the honor is unjust.

It's time to remove some of the writers from this responsibility, since they obviously have their own agendas.

Porn and Birth Rates

Facing a declining birth rate among citizens, the autocratic leaders of Singapore are loosening restrictions against pornography in order to get people more interested in sex. Is this a good idea?

Pornography, almost by definition, separates the act of sex from its natural conclusion, which is having children. Porn preaches the fantasy that sex is purely a physical act between consenting adults, just another form of "recreation" with no children allowed to intrude. Yes, sex should be enjoyable, but it naturally (but certainly not in every instance) leads to the greater joys of childrearing. This is real "re-creation."

Everywhere porn proliferates, birth rates lag. The way to get birth rates up is to honor families with children. And a few financial incentives so that parents can afford to have children wouldn't hurt.

End in Sight for Stem-Cell Wars?

Researchers at Wake Forest University and Harvard University have announced that they have discovered a source of pluripotent stem cells that might end the stem-cell wars. The cells come from amniotic fluid and apparently have the ability to develop into many different kinds of body parts. Scientists say they may be as versatile as embryonic stem cells, with one important difference: No destruction of human life is necessary to use them.

By all means, let's pursue this promising line of research, along with uncontroversial adult stem cells. And let's put to bed forever the nightmare of sacrificing human beings in the name of research and "progress."

Say It Ain't So, Tony

Tony Romo's botched play (he dropped the ball on a chip-shot field goal to lose a playoff game last night) was one of the most painful plays in pro sports memory. After a great season turning around "America's Team," Romo has a good career ahead of him, but this will be hard to overcome. Cowboys fans are very demanding. It was sad watching Romo sitting in utter desolation on the goal line. Don't tell Tony football is only a game. For him, it's life. Let's hope someone comes alongside the guy to encourage him. He needs it.

The Objective

As the president and John McCain are sensibly calling for more troops to stabilize Baghdad, Democratic luminaries such as Barack Obama (you remember, the one with all of two years of national experience) are crying foul, saying we need to pull the U.S. military out ASAP.

Who's right? It depends on the objective. If we want to to avoid all harm (in the short term, anyway), we should pull out, starting today. But if the objective is to win and help create a stabile democracy in place of what was formerly a regime dedicated to mass murder and mayhem, then we need to exert sufficient force to get the job done.

So what is your objective, Democrats?

A Child is Born to Us

On January 16, a baby is expected to be born to New Orleans resident Rebekah Markham. That kind of thing happens every day, right? Well, not exactly. The child to be was rescued as an embryo from a city medical laboratory right after Hurricane Katrina. And now, nine moths after implantation, she is poised to give Rebekah Markham all the joys and heartaches of motherhood. Who knows? This baby might grow up to be an engineer who devises a levee system to save the city from the next monster storm.

Think about that the next time you hear that human embryos should have their stem cells "harvested" for research, and that not to do so is a "waste."

The Democratic Agenda

During the congressional campaign, Democrats by and large were mum about their plans, hoping simply that voter dissatisfaction with Republicans would sweep them back into power. It did. Now today, as San Francisco Democrat Nancy Pelosi is sworn in as majority leader, they are making clear their plans: a higher minimum wage (pushing up union wages while cutting jobs for the nation's lowest-paid), pressuring the president to "bring the troops home" (as we did in Vietnam, leading to a bloodbath and the consolidation of tyranny), and increasing funding for embryonic stem-cell research (opening the door to widespread destruction of nascent human life).

For all those Christians who went for the Democrats (and who hope that somehow you will retain some influence with this party), I fear you're about to get a dose of reality.

Rules for Living

No. 641: Never argue with a 5-year-old.

Unrequited

He who has never experienced unrequited love has never owned a cat.

Night of the Living Dead?

I thought Rex Grossman was having a rough night for the Bears–2 completions in 12 attempts, 3 interceptions, 2 of which were returned for touchdowns by the Packers. Then I saw Dick Clark during "New Year's Rockin' Eve." His embalming appeared to be wearing off. A mumbling Clark couldn't even get the countdown right. I respect the man and his considerable career, but isn't it time to tap someone else to work New Year's Eve? America will survive, and the New Year will come, with or without him. Let Clark go gracefully into retirement ... please.