Unlike James, my mailbox isn't full of solicitations from John F. Kerry and Nancy Pelosi. Nope, instead I get cool things like this letter that came today:

Now, I know darn well that Bush wasn't toiling over these letters in the Oval Office, but nonetheless, I appreciate the thanks. And, it's kind of cool to pull a letter with the White House as a return address out of the mailbox. Of course, in my neighborhood this will probably cause me to get my ass kicked. Ah well, it's worth it ;-)

As an aside, I'm pleased to note that the President's penmanship is almost as bad as my own.

Christine Brennan, best known for writing snooty figure skating stories, sticks up for Bob Harlan's decision to fly the flag at half staff for Reggie White in USA Today. For those of you who haven't heard, the Packers lowered the US flag flying over Lambeau Field after White's death. Then:

Some veterans questioned the policy of lowering the flag to honor White, saying it violated the U.S. Flag Code, which spells out rules of flag etiquette. The code states that the flag should only be flown at half-staff upon a directive from the president or governor and on Memorial Day, and it reserves the honor for government figures.

The vets contended it should only be done when authorized by the government, as when honoring those killed in combat.

In announcing the change on Wednesday, the Packers thanked veterans for making the suggestions that led to the new policy.

Veterans were, I think, understandably upset about honoring White this way in wartime, and Harlan, equal understandably, wasn't up on his flag etiquette. In the future, the Packers will honor people by raising, and then half-lowering, a Packers flag over the stadium. Sounds good to me.

But, of course, some people need to find a more sinister motive behind all of this. Ms. Brennan is one of them:

There likely will never be a certain answer as to the genesis of the national controversy that Harlan and the Packers unwittingly opened this week. Logically, the suddenness of White's death at 43, the shock of the news coming on Christmas weekend, led more people than usual to pay attention to what the Packers were doing with their U.S. flags at Lambeau.

Let's hope that is the reason, for there is another that is much harder to stomach. On radio shows, some have mentioned that among those honored by the Packers in this manner, White is the only African-American. I imagine we all can agree that we hope like crazy that is not the reason the flag police spoke up at this moment.

Oh yes, that must be it. Those redneck Green Bay veterans (who probably voted for Bush) are a bunch of racists who can't stomach anyone honoring a black man. Bitch. It's bad enough that White's obituraries slam him, but now some idiots want to use his death to brand these vets as a bunch of racists.

Update: Since we're smack in the middle of Bowl Week, we thought we'd revisit our picks.

College bowl season starts tonight with the New Orleans Bowl pitting Southern Miss against North Texas. James and I have made our picks and we're not afraid to share them. Disagree with us? Let us know who you think will win in the comments. And, as this most certainly is a competition us, I'll give periodic updates as bowl season progresses. And away we go!

"Coin" represents the picks generated by a coin toss. Let's hope he (or she) doesn't kick both of our asses!

You'll note that not only are two homers like us not picking Wisconsin, we're also picking Virginia Tech to upset Auburn and for USC to be the National Champion. It's almost disappointing that we agree on that, you know what I mean? Hopefully some of you will express your difference of opinion ;-)

Our Madison area readers will have a delicious way to help tsunami victims. I was just at Bandung Restauarant (an Indonesian place on the near east side) and they will be donating 10% of their proceeds from December 31 through January 9 to disaster relief funds.

The food is fantastic and the cause is even better. If you're able, try them out in the next week and a half. I bet that many Indonesian, Indian & Thai places around the country are doing the same thing, so eat up people!

The week between Christmas and New Year's Day is easily the quietest time in Madison. State employees are gone using one of their four or five weeks of vacation and students are out of town for winter break. But, what this week lacks in traffic and protestors, it more than makes up for it with beautiful days like today.

I went ice skating on Lake Monona this afternoon and came back with some perfect Madison scenes (I figure that I complain about all the liberals so much that I need to balance that out with something).

I love this shot of the late afternoon sky and all the tracks in the ice.

Nevermind the construction and hordes of non-migratory geese, here's a lakeside view of Madison's Monona Terrace.

This is the state Capitol building as seen from the lake. At the top sits Miss Forward, looking out to Washington, DC.

Even though it was a wonderful day for skating, this ice sailor was the only other person I saw out on the lake.

But that doesn't mean I was alone, this charming cat, Obert, followed me home. No, I didn't keep him, but he is awfully cute.

So, I hope you welcome this break from bashing Madison liberals. I'm sure we'll return to our normally scheduled programming soon.

I followed a link from Young Pundit to a story about a group of teachers who cut a CD to protest the No Child Left Behind Act.

I was hoping to find some silly protest songs to make fun of (I did, you can scroll down), but I also read that these teachers were from a new school "called World of Opportunity (WOO) - a school designed to accommodate students forced out of regular public schools due to their poor performance on standardized tests." That didn't sound right to me, but apparently it's true:

Mr. Orel enlisted the support of Virginia Volker, a Birmingham school board member, who learned that some 522 students, or 5.6 percent of the high school student body, had similarly "withdrawn." They were told to leave school after Feb. 15, when the state calculates reimbursement levels based on enrollment, but before April, when they would have taken the Stanford Achievement Tests, and could have dragged down their school's scores, Ms. Volker found.

"A lot of our parents are poor and overworked, and they didn't object," Ms. Volker said.

A spokeswoman for the Birmingham public schools, Michaelle Chapman, said that it was not the prospect of poor test scores that caused the withdrawal of so many students. At least some of the students involved, whose records the district examined, had missed more than 100 days from school, she said, and would not have passed anyway.

I'm shocked by the actions of the Birmingham schools. But, why is this the fault of President Bush, the No Child Left Behind Act or standardized testing? The fault lies in those that are refusing to do their jobs: parents, teachers and administrators. In the past, these same people would refuse to do their job by passing and graduating these kids. Now, they're refusing to do their job by throwing them out of school. In any case, NCLB isn't to blame for these school districts acting like whiny bitches: "How dare you force us to teach these children. We'll show you!".

Schools like this aren't even trying to do better. They're simply looking for loopholes to beat the system. And, I think they found one. But, that doesn't mean NCLB is a failure. It's really a great illustration of the need for further education reform. Can you imagine if Birmingham parents had school vouchers and they could get their kids out of this district that refuses to teach kids? Don't you think that threat might actually get the district to change their ways?

I don't understand what it is that opponents of NCLB really want. From the World of Opportunity site, I think they want teachers to be able to evaluate students without the benefit of any kind of testing. Because, after all, there are "so many ways to be smart":

Some folks are good at getting along
Some folks are good at making up songs
Some folks are good at stopping a Wal-mart
So many ways to be smart!

Oh good lord, where do I begin? Sure, some kids have greater emotional intelligence and some kids are more creative. But, at the end of the day, there are basic things we all need to know in order to survive in this country. And frankly, just being "good" at protesting a Wal-Mart doesn't merit a high school diploma in my book. They should at least have to make some cool signs too ;-)

One of the big stories on Fox News yesterday was that Kentucky's Governor, Ernie Fletcher, a doctor, was under fire for supposedly violating the Hippocratic Oath by signing the death warrant for convicted murderer Thomas Bowling. In 1990, Bowling was convicted of murdering a couple and shooting their 2-year old son.

Predictably, organizations like Kentucky's Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty are quick to claim that Fletcher's status as a doctor prohibits him from signing Bowling's death warrant. According to the group, this part of the AMA Code of Ethics forbids the Governor's actions:

An individual’s opinion on capital punishment is the personal moral decision of the individual. A physician, as a member of a profession dedicated to preserving life when there is hope of doing so, should not be a participant in a legally authorized execution. Physician participation in execution is defined generally as actions which would fall into one or more of the following categories: (1) an action which would directly cause the death of the condemned; (2) an action which would assist, supervise, or contribute to the ability of another individual to directly cause the death of the condemned; (3) an action which could automatically cause an execution to be carried out on a condemned prisoner.

I read this as meaning that physicians shouldn't, for example, actually adminster the drugs for those being executed by lethal injection. The broad interpretation that the anti-death penalty groups take has some pretty far reaching consequences. Does this mean, for example, that doctors on the jury of a death penalty case cannot recommend that penalty to a judge? Does it mean that doctors cannot vote for political candidates who support the death penalty. Or (and this is a big one), think about this example. A psychiatrist is called for their expert testimony in a potential capital punishment case. According to that interpretation of the AMA Code of Ethics, that pyschiatrist is required to testify under oath, whether true or not, that the criminal is insane, because doing otherwise would clearly "assist, supervise, or contribute to the ability of another individual to directly cause the death of the condemned".

Are doctors such a special group that we, as fellow citizens, will allow them to circumvent our laws? If so, how in the world can we trust them to participate in our democracy? Maybe doctors shouldn't be allowed to be on juries, hold office or vote. I mean really, back when JFK was running for office people were worried that he'd put the Pope ahead of America. And, more recently, people worry about Bush's religion. Why shouldn't we worry about doctors? It certainly seems like some people think they should place Hippocrates ahead of their obligations as Americans.

Obviously this is all a bunch of nonsense. However, the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure is going to have a hearing on whether to punish the Governor. Doesn't the Board have something better to do? I don't understand all of this effort to save convicted murderers at the expense of those just trying to do their jobs.

Don't get me wrong, people certainly have a right to oppose the death penalty. But they can, and should, continue to do so through our existing political system, not by trying to ruin the lives of the innocent.

Reggie White's passing brought back some memories for me and some observations worth sharing.

• When White was signed by the Packers, it was a HUGE story. I remember a the local network either putting it on a ticker on the bottom of the screen or breaking into regular programming with the news. Back then, the idea of the Packers winning the Super Bowl was still pretty outlandish. I mean, we knew they were getting good. But could they get that good? Could they really beat the Cowboys and 49ers?
• When the Packers finally did winner the Super Bowl, the whole fourth quarter belonged to Reggie and his sacks. Bledsoe would try to bring the Pats back into the game, but Reggie would take him down and we'd all shout and almost growl out a "Reggie!!".
• When Reggie's church in Tennessee was burned down, it wasn't at all surprising that people from Wisconsin were the overwhelming contributors to get it back up and help everyone out. I was thinking on the drive home today that if a hurricane would have hit near Kiln, Mississippi this past fall, people from Wisconsin would have donated and volunteered to help in huge numbers, just because it's where Favre is from. Packer fans are weird like that. Once we love you, we will always be there for you.
• The area code around Green Bay and in parts of Eastern Wisconsin used to be 414. Then, they needed to create a new area code. The new one? 920. Now, I've always heard that the code actually does refer to Reggie's #92, but I can't confirm it. Hopefully James can help me out.

Reggie was this great football player and seemed to be a wonderful Teddy Bear of a man. I will always think of him after the Super Bowl victory when he was running around the Super Dome in his brand new Super Bowl Champions t-shirt down to his knees. He brought so much happiness to the people of Wisconsin and seemingly to everyone else whose life he touched. Godspeed, Reggie.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

I sent Kris a personalized card the other day, check it out.

These personalized cards are supposed to cost a few dollars to send, but you can send your cards for free using code "bc2004."

God Bless!

Some days here at Dummocrats we talk about politics. Some days we talk about foreign policy. Some days we talk about the media. And some days, we're all about reality TV. It's no secret that I love The Amazing Race (go Jon & Kris and Gus & Hera!), but I just discovered a new show to love: Project Runway on Bravo.

The premise is this: twelve aspiring fashion designers compete for a chance to present their collection in a NY runway show, with the ultimate winner getting $100,000 and a photo shoot in Elle magazine. Each week the designers are given a specific challenge (the two challenges I've seen were to create a garment from cotton jersey which somehow represented "envy" and to create a party dress that would be appropriate for Banana Republic to sell). One designer wins the challenge and another designer is sent home. Simultaneously, one by one, the models who show off the clothes are also eliminated (that winner also gets a spread in Elle).

While the show has its share of dramatic infighting, what I find so fascinating is the peek at the creative process. For example, for the "envy" concept, the winning designer was an army brat and so she created a military-themed dress (in her mind, envy leads to war). In the Banana Republic show, another designer used the Chrysler building as inspiration for his Art Deco dress.

I'm so envious of all these people. I find it amazing that someone can look at a piece of white cotton and whip up a fabulous menswear-inspired pantsuit from it in a day or so. I don't have that kind of creativity. I have a hard time building something from scratch like that. My strength lies in taking that design and figuring how to sell it to other people, or how to display and describe it.

I feel the same way about some fellow bloggers. I can react to things other people write and I can even make some original observations, but, don't come here looking for something like Beautiful Atrocities' Evolution of Katie Couric or Iowahawk's brilliant "Blue State Blues as Coastal Parents Battle Invasion of Dollywood Values" piece. I can't pull something like that out of the air. I think the best we can do (unless James really surprises me), is a little parody, some local insight and good analysis. Although, I have to say, that if I had any artistic ability, I think I could come up with one or two good Cox and Forkum style cartoons. Alas, I was not blessed with the ability to draw anything beyond a stick figure.

So, check out Project Runway (I think new episodes start on Jan. 5th). In the meantime, we'll be on the lookout for more creative posts in the blogosphere. And maybe, just maybe, breaks from school and work will help us get our own creative juices flowing!

From Channel 3 in Madison:

Madison Business Owner Helping Protect Charities
Will Not Sell Lance Armstrong Cancer Bracelets in Bulk

MADISON, Wis. -- One Madison business owner is doing his part to stop people from taking money from charity.

John Williamson sells Lance Armstrong Cancer Foundation bracelets at his store, Sports World, on State Street. But now, he won't let people buy more than 10 bracelets at a time without checking their reason for buying them. That's because so many people are selling the bracelets for a profit on eBay.

"Whether it's cerebral palsy, breast cancer, or 'Live Armstrong' cancer, I just object to people heavily profiting much more than the organizations profit from the popularity of the wristbands," said Williamson.

Williamson said he's been selling the bracelets for three or four months and has already had 15 or 20 people try and buy all the bracelets he has in stock to re-sell them.

He's raised almost $15,000 for various charities through the bracelets.

Let me get this straight -
1. The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) raises $ by selling $1 bracelets.
2. The more bracelets they sell, the more money they make.
3. This guy refuses to sell bracelets, and thinks that he is somehow helping the charity?

Something tells me that John Williamson isn't very good at logic puzzles. The (plainly obvious, i would have thought) fact is that it doesn't matter what people do with the bracelets after they sell them - - in fact, it's completely irrelevant. Let's say that I want a bracelet - I can buy one from this guy's store for $1, and the $1 will go to LAF. Or I can buy one on ebay for $200 and $1 still goes to the LAF. Either way, the LAF gets $1. The only way that the LAF doesn't get their $1 is if I'm unable to buy a bracelet, which is apparently the result that this guy wants.

How this guy manages to run a successful business is beyond me.

(As a side note, it's been months since a LAF bracelet sold on eBay for much more than $1.)

EDIT: I think I was too hard on the business owner. I re-read the story, and according to the article, John Williamson only said that he didn't like to see people profiting from the sale of the bracelets. It's probably the news writer that interjected this "doing his part to stop people from taking money from charity" bit.

One of my favorite new Madison bloggers is the mysterious Two-L McTwo-L at Law & Alcoholism. I love his post from yesterday about nearing the end of exams and celebrating the end of exams. Here's a snippet (the rest is just as funny):

After Crim Pro let out, I got in line to pick up my Law Review write-on packet and take a shot. I took a leisurely lunch, stopped back at my apartment for a quick couple shots of Jager, and strolled over to Brats. When I got there, I realized to my utter horror that I was by far the most sober of all my friends. This was entirely unacceptable. I had an idea, that was so crazy that it just might work. I ordered a quintuple Jack on the rocks. The bartender said that they could only give me a triple at most. I ordered a large glass of ice and five separate shots; realizing that he wasn't going to win, the bartender just gave me a big ole' glass full of Jack. I threw it back in less than five minutes and was still relatively sober. Apparently I had forgotten the alcohol needs to be absorbed before it takes effect, so I ordered another quintuple. And another.

I remember those days. Or, should I say, I remember that I don't remember those days. People can talk about the dangers of binge drinking and attempt to make their campuses dry, but the fact is, is that college and grad school are tough, you work hard and you need to blow off steam. The vast majority of people will make it through just fine. I mean, look at me, I was once The Onion's Drunk of the Week*, and now I'm a respected citizen and blogger. There's hope for us all.

*The Onion used to have a weekly feature where they'd find some random drunk and give them the "award". You got a certificate and they'd print a picture of you in the paper, holding up a sign that said "I am the Onion Drunk of the Week. And I am dumb".

Oliver North's latest column at Townhall (hat tip to Drew over at the Longhorn Mafia), tells the story of Rafael Peralta's heroism and sacrifice in Iraq. Like North, I question why we haven't heard more about this story in the mainstream media:

Not only can Rafael's family be proud of him, but his fellow Marines are alive because of him. As Peralta lay near death on the floor of a Fallujah terrorist hideout, he spotted the yellow grenade that had rolled next to his near-lifeless body. Once detonated, it would take out the rest of Peralta's squad. To save his fellow Marines, Peralta reached out, grabbed the grenade and tucked it under his abdomen, where it exploded.

Like Drew, I urge you to read the whole article and to keep Peralta's family in your thoughts and prayers. I imagine he'll receive the Medal of Honor posthumously, but that's probably not that much comfort to his family, especially at this time of year.

As if the election wasn't bad enough, Instapundit links to a map that shows that, once again just how divided my poor state is.

While there are some kids down in Texas or out in California that have never heard refreshing non-alcoholic liquid beverages called anything but coke or soda, I grew up on the front lines. As you can see, Wisconsin is nearly divided in half between those who call it pop (me) and those in the eastern part of the state who call it "soda" (freaks).

Looking at that map, I'm also struck by the fact that Democrats seemed to take most of the soda states, while Republicans dominated in the coke and pop states. In any case, I'm far more entertained by this than by any of the blue state and red state bashing.

So, I was going to write about this article in today's Capital Times (and, since Madison Newspapers doesn't keep anything online more than a week or so, you can also click on the expanded entry to read it), but I couldn't decide whether to categorize it under "Looney Lefties", "Ironic" or "Hypocrisy". And besides, I rant about Cap Times articles all the time, I'm in the mood for something different.

Of everything I've read in the past few days, this post on Montykins sticks out the most. The gist of the story is that, back in 1981, some 10-year olds in Mississippi saw "Raiders of the Lost Ark". Like most kids, they loved it. Unlike most kids, they spent the next 7 years making a shot for shot remake of it, stunts, special effects and all. The resulting film is, appropriately enough, called "Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation". The film premiered at an Austin film festival in May 2003, so I'm way behind on this story. But, I'm still just amazed by it. I read more about it on Ain't It Cool News and it just gets better and better:

They grew up in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. They learned to sew costumes, blow shit up good, take molds of their heads, drag under motorized vehicles, be hurled through windows, set themselves on fire, set their basement on fire, take over a WWII Submarine, improvise brilliantly another animal for the monkey, blow up a truck, get a shitload of snakes, build a giant boulder, the first kiss, get a girl to strip and put on Marion’s dress while they filmed it in the mirror. They dressed their friends up as Nazis, killed a brother over and over again, made over 40 traditional Arabic costumes, swordfight, beat the shit out of each other, build giant Egyptian statues, con someone out of a Rolls Royce, scour Goodwill’s and Salvation Armies for costumes and props.

Wow. I can't tell you how much I want to see this, or at least hear from someone else who has. Apparently, the film was given a 4-minute standing ovation in Austin. So, it's not just like these kids did it, they did it well.

I was talking to some friends the other day and we were reminiscing about how our parents used to make us play outside, and how we'd play and play until it was dark out and they would make us come on in. I remember growing up with some of the greatest "toys" in the world: A giant pine tree (known to all as "Mr. Big Tree"), trails, piles of snow plowed from the nearby Senior Citizens center, and, for one wonderful summer, a huge dirt pit right in front of the house. Those were the days. I think kids grow up a little different when they have to make their own entertainment and they don't have a TV or XBox to do it for them.

It's pretty ironic for me to say this, but the internet is a wonderful thing and opens up a world of knowledge to kids, but maybe they're losing something else in the process.

Bush and his cohorts would be wise to implement Jesus agenda
By Brett Hulsey

'Love your enemies. ... If someone strikes you on the right cheek, give them the other.' Are the Guantanamo or Abu Ghraib torture treatments consistent with this teaching?We are told to expect a Christian government just in time for Christmas, but what is the Jesus agenda? Methodist church school taught me that the Sermon on the Mount is the basic statement of Jesus' philosophy, in Matthew 5:1-28 and Luke 6:17-46 for those who want to read along.

Jesus said, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth." We haven't seen much meekness in Washington lately, except from Democrats. The question is, "Will the Earth be worth inheriting after the oil companies and polluters trash it?" We have to work harder to protect our inheritance.

"Blessed are those who show mercy." We've not seen much mercy either, especially in the GOP attacks on amputee war heroes like Sen. Max Cleland, for being weak on terror.

"Blessed are the peacemakers." It's not clear how Iraq figures into this. Invading Iraq has killed some 1,300 Americans and 10,000 to 100,000 Iraqis so far. There's not much peace there.

"Do not store up for yourself treasures on Earth." This means we should repeal the tax cuts for the rich in order to fund vital programs.

"Love your enemies. ... If someone strikes you on the right cheek, give them the other." Are the Guantanamo or Abu Ghraib torture treatments consistent with this teaching? The Red Cross thinks not.

"Whoever marries a divorced person commits adultery." Studies show divorce rates higher in very Christian states like Mississippi, and lowest in Massachusetts, home of gay marriage. Christians should focus on staying married themselves, not worrying about gays.

"Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand in the churches and streets so they can be seen by others. ... Whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray in secret." President Bush should not be praying at any more Cabinet meetings for the TV cameras.

"Don't worry about the speck in my eye until you take the log from your own." We have a lot of logs to take out of our eyes before worrying about others.

"Do to others as you would have them do to you." The golden rule is a universal religious value. The president has disrespected others on global warming, the world court, the nuclear terror treaty, and many other international agreements.

"Beware of false prophets, men who come to you dressed as sheep while underneath they are savage wolves. You will recognize them by the fruits they bear ... a good tree always yields good fruit and a bad tree bad fruit."

We have yet to see many good fruits from President Bush and his followers. They need to implement a real Jesus agenda, lest they be hypocrites, false prophets and wolves in sheep's clothing.

Dane County Supervisor Brett Hulsey reads the Bible and tries to implement its wisdom.

There are great movies and then there are those movies that, no matter how many times you've seen them, alway stop you dead in your tracks when you're sitting around flipping channels. In a way, they've achieved their own kind of greatness. Here are some of my channel flipping stoppers:

• Major League (I'm actually watching this right now and yes, it did inspire this post): this is probably the only movie that I like either Charlie Sheen or Wesley Snipes in. Plus, you just have to love Bob Uecker. I especially like the incredibly horrible dubbing of Corbin Bernsen at the end when he says "strike this (expletive) out". It's just classic. Also classic: "Forget about the curveball Ricky, give 'em the heater".
• The Cutting Edge: I'm such a sucker for any play on "The Taming of the Shrew". And, this movie also attempts to answer the age old question of who is a better skater: a hockey player or a figure skater.
• The American President: "This is Andrew Shepherd and I am the President of the United States". Ah, good stuff. Plus, like so many trustworthy fictional characters, Andrew Shepherd hails from Wisconsin!
• The Wedding Singer: I don't really like Adam Sandler, but he's so charming in this movie. I love the silly 80s outfits and Billy Idol and the rapping Granny. Just awesome
• Tommy Boy: I know this is such a stupid movie, but I crack up everytime Chris Farley starts listing off all the things he can put in his office fridge. I miss Chris Farley. :-(
• Office Space: I think this actually is a great movie. I think it'll go down in film history as a comedy classic eventually. But here's how silly I am - you know the "Damn it feels good to be a gangster" song in it? I always sing it as "Gee, it feels good to be a gangster." I don't think many gangsters say "gee".

Okay, so Taylor is calling his shot against the Yankees. I gotta run. But, in the meantime, I'd love to hear some other folks' channel flipping stopper movies.

I was pleased to see Time Magazine name President Bush as their Man of the Year. Now, of course it would have been nice if bloggers would have received the honor. But somehow, I think the editors would have been thinking of the likes of Glenn Reynolds and the Powerline boys rather than James and I. Oh well, there's always next year.

And, the choice could have been much, much worse:

Kelly said other candidates included Michael Moore and Mel Gibson, "because in different ways their movies tapped in to deep cultural streams," and political strategist Rove, who is widely credited with engineering Bush's win. Kelly said choosing Rove alone would have taken away from the credit he said Bush deserves.

I'm actually shocked that Rove didn't get a piece of this. While I've been accused by some of seeking the hidden power behind the throne (even when there isn't any), the media are even worse. And, in this case, I'll say that the Dems get the same treatment. To them, James Carville and Paul Begala were the brains behind the Clinton operation, just like Rove is the evil genius behind Bush.

Of course, in the media, Carville is a benevolent goofball - like a smart Terry Bradshaw. While, in the Bush=Hitler world, this is how things work: The evil Neo-Cons whisper in Dick Cheney's ear. Cheney tells Bush what they are going to do and Karl Rove figures out the best way to lie to the public to cover it all up.

So, I'm not sure how to take all of this. Clearly, Bush is getting credit for being more than a figurehead now. But, is he also getting credit for his resolute actions and winning the election, or is he just his own evil genius now?

Well, I don't think he's won over anyone in the media, just yet. Sam Dolnick, the AP reporter who wrote the story on Time's announcement and Time's Kelly, damns Bush with this "praise":

Kelly said Bush has changed dramatically since he was named Person of the Year in 2000 after the Supreme Court awarded him the presidency.

"He is not the same man," Kelly said. "He's a much more resolute man. He is personally as charming as ever but I think the kind of face he's shown to the American public is one of much, much greater determination."

Heh. That's awesome. Yes, Bush is resolute and determined, but let's never forget that the Supreme Court "awarded him the presidency". I seem to recall something about millions of voters, the Electoral College and that recount after recount in Florida went his way, but that's just me. I guess the media can grudgingly give credit where credit is due, but some things never change.