Mis·under·estimates

George Bush has taken us places, yet no major talk about return. "Major" as in the candidates for presidency and such. This guy has lowered our expectations of him so much that progress in ANY direction would seem just providential.

By the way, do you recall how NYTimes told us in his tame years not to misunderestimate him? I think we are way beyond the endearment phase, even at NYTimes, so let's get real for a moment.

From all that he's got us into, what do you think it will come to an end by 2009? Positive end, that is.

I'm gonna play contrarian here and say that his best chance is for peace between Israel and Abbas' Palestine.

I so love my orangeour rich are richer than theirs

A few days ago none other than Michael Chertoff, the guy in charge with the levels of security, told the Congress that unless the immigration law was passed we would not have food on the tables. Learning his advertisement, I had the vision of a reverse-Exodus, thinking of anyone opposing he bill as some latter-day pharaoh.

Now, for those a little more traveled than President Bush it may come as no surprise that food in general sells for about the same price in the US as in most any developed country; alas, regardless of the number of immigrants in the fields. The argument goes that in the US immigrants work for less in jobs that no local wants. The "work for less" is a given, but the question becomes: Where does the difference between the sale price and the lower cost of labor goes in the US?

Oops, what levels is Mr. Chertoff in charge with, again?

Why does it take so long?

For some strange reason, Al Gore is today's hero for so many--more than in 2000 to be sure, anyway. For some he's just the lesser between two bad choices, for most he's the planet savior. For the latter category I have the following question: What had Al Gore done about environment during his 8 years at the Naval Observatory, star gazing? To put things in context, that was the time The Big 3 from Detroit put on the road the SUVs and gas went for just under $1/gallon. Not that the Detroit proxies for "what's good for America" need any more blame, but at least the alleged "brainiac" should be told that, in part, he squandered it.

If you think you got my point, think again. To just put down Gore like this would be way too easy. Go on to the next paragraph!

Judging by "The New American Story" Bill Bradley would make an outstanding public servant. The question is why has it taken him 7 years after running for president and leaving public office that we are given to know he's got not only a brain but also conscience?

The cost of warThe cost of voting our guts

Are we stuck with the bill for Bush's tardive curiosity about foreign countries with several decades of hardship? One can make a case that it took the US until 1992 to pay off for Vietnam. How long and what will it take now?

Immigration reform'cause human reform ain't

Going west has always been an American escape. As we ran out of geography, "going west" became the suburbs. Today we have immigration. So many problems are solved by immigration, so little care is given to what we are and have here and now--just like our forebears who were leaving behind the problems of their day.

What can it be?

Very few characters from history make it into public consciousness to the point they are associated with a category. Indeed, you see one of Einstein's photos and associate it immediately to concepts like unconventional(l y smart).

Today, President Bush vetoed a measure promoting embryonic stem cell research, stating: "I will not allow our nation to cross this moral line."

I wonder not about what he knows about morality, but of the time the image of his face will stand for something, and what that something may be.