In all the talk about an escalation of the war in Iraq, there hasn’t been much official chatter about what, exactly, these extra troops are supposed to be accomplishing.  The generals are reported to be balking because there’s not a mission, but what if there is?  And what if the plan is to take out Moqtada al Sadr?  What then?

The terror alerts are back from hiatus.

You remember this show, right?  The plot went something like this:  Tom Ridge would come on the teevee and say something to the effect of, "We have received word that Arab jihadists are at this very moment pouring over our borders and are going to kill all of you in your beds.  Please prepare for the coming destruction of America by buying copious amounts of duct tape and plastic sheeting.  Sit tight.  We'll let you know when it's safe to come out.  Oh, and the terror alert is now at Orange."

But then we would find out weeks or months later that the terror alert was based on information that was unreliable or out of date leaving us to think, "Hmmm, were they just trying to freak us out?"  Short answer:  yes.

Would you date a Republican?  Would you marry one?  Would you have a fling with one - rip off that bow-tie, pop those suspenders finally unlock that chastity belt?  If not, why not?

I've been thinking about this, because my brother is getting married in a few weeks.  Now, I love my brother to death and he really is a good guy, but he's a die-hard Bush lover.  That man doesn't do much of anything that my brother doesn't approve of or heartily endorse.  As a matter of fact, I'm fairly certain that if the two of them were to meet, there would be numerous high-fives involved.

But he's marrying a very nice woman who just happens to be a Democrat.  Not a fire-breathing Dem like you often see around these parts, but a Dem none the less.  She was raised in a highly educated, liberal family; her father is a big mucky-muck at a major university and she holds an MBA.  She's just an all-around wonderful and reasonable person.  Yet, she's marrying a Republican.