Saddam Swings

Saddam Hussein, brutal ex-dictator of Iraq, was hanged this morning for his part in the deaths of 148 Shiites in Dujail in response to a failed assasination attempt against him. The 69-year-old despot was executed within the 30-day window prescribed by the trial judge and before he reached the age of 70. (Iraqi law does not allow executions of people 70 or older.) Further, he received the ultimate temporal punishment before hadjis trek to Mecca. Bush issued a low-key statement but did not comment before the cameras to underscore that the execution was an Iraqi carriage of justice not an American imposition thereof.

Cf. execution video at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7532034279766935521 and FNC.

President Ford Dies

President Gerald R. Ford, the nation's only President unelected as either President or Vice President, died last night at his home in Rancho Mirage, CA, at the age of 93. The former University of Michigan football star, distinguished WWII veteran, and 13-term U.S. House Rep assumed the vice presidency after the resignation of Nixon's Veep, Spiro T. Agnew, amidst corruption charges and ascended to the presidency upon the resignation of Nixon under threat of impeachment over the Watergate scandal. Ford was well received by the American public with a high approval rating: however, when the Nebraskan native pardoned President Nixon to "bind up the nation's wounds," his ratings tanked. In his bid for election in his own right in 1976, the moderate Republican barely survived a spirited challenge in the 1976 Republican primaries from Ronald Reagan and narrowly lost his election bid to the Plains peanut farmer who asked people to trust him. Ford was the nation's longest lived president (over a month more than Reagan); the first adopted president (born Leslie King); and the only President to testify in front of a Congressional committee while President. Ford will be remembered as a decent man who helped the nation heal in the painful aftermath of Watergate and Vietnam.

Cf. http://apnews.myway.com/article/20061227/D8M9601G0.html and FNC's Special Report with Britt Hume.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! May we remember today that God sent His Son not only to be born in a manger but also to die on a tree for our sins. Let us be thankful for His most precious Gift: may we also love Him and, in doing so, love one another. Happy New Year!

Nordic America?

Dems and the GOP don't seem to offer any real leadership now. Bush got spanked by the voters, and he seems to be gun shy: the Dem have no agenda that they'll endorse now other than one that passes minor ad hoc laws. Perhaps, a triangulation of a strong military, flat taxes, and pro-life libertarian agenda coupled with universal health care, affordable education, and a safety net would properly carry the day in the governance of the nation: such a program would arguably glean the best of both camps and jettison the worst.

Trump: Miss USA Not Fired

Donald Trump announced today that Miss USA Tara Conner was not fired. The small-town KY beauty had reportedly been drinking underage and canoodling with Miss Teen USA. (Allegedly, she also failed a cocaine test.) Reportedly, Trump banned Tara from Trump properties and met today with Miss USA officials to determine the fate of the pageant queen. This morning Trump announced that Tara would go to rehab and would be given a second chance. In this holiday season, the master promoter decided not to play Grinch and to come off as a compassionate and caring tycoon and father figure. Tara keeps her tiara, and Trump barnishes his image.

Cf. FNC Fox News Live (12/19/06 - 10:00 a.m. CST).

Rummy Saluted

Donald Rumsfeld, the youngest (under Ford) and oldest (under Bush 43) Secretary of Defense was feted today by the Veep and the Prez as the nation said goodbye to the longest serving Secretary of Defense ever. Vice President Cheney, a Secretary of Defense himself under Bush 41, said, "I believe the record speaks for itself: Don Rumsfeld is the finest secretary of defense this nation has ever had. The Commander in Chief added, "Because of Don Rumsfeld's determination and leadership, America has the best-equipped, the best-trained, and most-experienced armed forces in the history of the world." It appeared that the executive dyad wanted to give the distinguished warrior his due after summarily giving him the door after the Dems' rout of the Republicans in the midterm elections. The erstwhile senior stud saw his star dim as the the Iraq war turned from a military triumph to a nation-building tribulation.

Cf. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/15/AR2006121501195_pf.html.

Oslo Rapes Mount

This year Oslo's clinic at Legevakt, the emergency hospital, has served nearly 300 alleged rape victims higher than the Big Apple's per capita rate. It's head Endre Sandvik, said, "Our resources have been the same for the past 10 years, while the number of our patients has doubled, and continues to increase this year." Oslo City Council health issue chief Sylvi Listhaug, said, "The growth in the number of rapes is dramatic: It makes me angry, and worried about the young women of our city."

Cf. http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1567514.ece.