Lame Democratic Leadership, Mollohan Gets Rich, Bush Road Trip, The New Zarqawi, Iraqi Women's Rights Not, War on Terrorism Not and Saving Marriage.

The Democratic party is in need of a major change of leadership and direction. Over the last few years their idea of an oppositon party has been to try to be more like the party it was opposing. Now the party, instead of recruiting real Democrats from inside the party, is retreading Republicans and running them as Democrats. The party is going from lame to pathetic.

In Virginia, national party leaders tapped James Webb, a former Republican, to try to sway moderates into voting for the Democrats. His opponent in the primary, Harris Miller, a former lobbyist and establishment centrist Democrat used a million of his own money and still lost to the Kerry/Schumer backed Webb.

The Democratic primary between the ex-Republican and Republican-lite generated so much excitement among rank and file Democrats that a staggering 3% turned out to vote.

In Kansas, the latest fad, if they have fads in Kansas, is Republicans switching parties and running as Democrats. There seems to be a falling out between those wanting to suck up to Big Business and those wanting to suck up to the Religious Right in the Republican party in Kansas. I guess it would just be too much trouble to find a actual Democrat to run for office in Kansas.

There was a lot of hope that Illinois Senator Barack Obama would go to Washington as a real Democratic firebrand, but now he seems to be leaning toward establishment Democrat team player. But there's still hope for Barack and he has what it takes to make a statement for the grassroots Democrats that expect their party to stand for something.

But when we really get down to it, it looks like it's going to be up to us faceless, nobodies to wrest the control of the party away from the corporate leadership and return it to the people.

One excellent example of an establishment Democrat is Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (D-W.Va.), he managed to raise his personal worth from $565,000 in 2000 to at least $6.3 million in 2004. I didn't realize that public service was so profitable. It's time for a change in West Virginia.

There's just been all kinds of good news for the President this week, the death of Zarqawi, Rove won't be indicted and his visit to Iraq. Unfortunately for all of us he's still the worst president this country has ever had.

The day before the American leader and Iraqi leader met in Baghdad, Al Queda announced their new leader. Mr. Bush, Mr. Maliki meet Mr. Muhajir.

I wonder if Bush talked to Prime Minister Maliki about women's rights? They seem to be in short supply in Iraq. A group of women's rights demonstrators got the hell beat out of 'em Monday.

While Bush is all fired up on his war on terrorism, people with functioning brains like the folks a Oxford Research Group have a different take on it.

LONDON (AFP) - The US-led "war on terror" is increasing the risk of terrorist
attacks and distracting governments from greater threats to global security such
as climate change, a think-tank warned in a report.

The Oxford Research Group urged countries, especially the United States and
Britain, to rethink their security policies to counter future instability.

"The war on terror is a dangerous diversion and prevents the international
community from responding effectively to the most likely causes of future
conflict," a press statement about the report said.

The US and British governments insist there is no alternative, but "there is
abundant evidence that the 'war on terror' is proving deeply counterproductive
-- making the risk of future terrorist attacks on the scale of New York, Madrid
or London more not less likely," it said.

Let's see, idiot from Texas or Oxford. Even an ignorant country boy like myself has no problem with that choice.

Now if the Republicans and the Religious Right are right about the threat to marriage being the biggest problem facing the country, we'd better get busy and do something about it. Charles M. Madigan of the Chicago Tribune lays out the obvious solution. Let's see how serious the right really is.

A brilliant idea came to me as the Senate Republicans pushed their hopeless
proposal for a constitutional amendment to protect marriage from amorous gay
people. I agree with all of the arguments about marriage being a foundation in
our culture and the best way to raise a family and nourish values.

That being the case, let's focus on the real threat.

It's time to arrest and imprison everyone who has ever been divorced, make it
illegal to have serious marital problems and set up a federal agency to enforce
it.