Well nothing I can say today will enlighten anyone. I am stunned, thankful, grateful to God and so very proud to be an American. Happy beyond belief and proud of our armed forces in general and the 22nd Infantry Regiment in particular. A proud old unit conceived in the aftermath of Fort Sumter and which served through the Indian Wars, the Spanish American War, the Phillipine Insurrection and which stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. A gallant regiment which faced down the Nazi's at Carentan and fought it's way across Northern Europe to a bloodletting at a place called Huertgen Forest. A unit which served in Vietnam at Kontum and during the Tet Offensive. Yesterday, the 22nd Infantry added another laurel to it's lineage without firing a shot. Well done troops.

So how did I hear the happy news? I had just wandered back into the house after trudging through the snow to feed the horse. I sat down at the computer to check the e-mail when I note a missive from reader Jim Hank Duncan, Alameda Ca. Subject Line reads President Re-Elected!!. My curiosity piqued, I opened the e-mail and read: President Bush visits troops on Thanksgiving, economic growth up 8% last quarter, stock market up 38% since October 2002, and. . . . . SADDAM HUSSEIN IN CHAINS!!!! Mark it down, boys. . . it's all over. Dean will go the way of McGovern. God Bless America.

I couldn't believe my eyes. I quickly turned on Fox News and learned that there was cause for celebration. Just like Jim Hank to keep the missive short and sweet too. There is a lot of truth in Jim Hank's e-mail and I agree with one caveat. President Bush was re-elected today barring an economic collapse. Even an economic collapse will be overlooked if it is the result of terrorist activity. Today, Americans learned once again what a steady hand they have at the helm. President Bush has stayed the course during this war and this course has not been popular with internationalists, socialists, hand wringers and democrats. Of course the fear has always been that not only would (gasp) America go it alone, but what if Bush is right? and by extension, American policy of fighting terrorism all over the world is right? The left can't abide that. Although truth to tell, once I learned the word from Jim Hank my first stop on the information superhighway was over at DU. There was a suicide watch on there as the kool-aid drinkers from the left sought solace in Howie Dean's campaign and tinfoil hat theories about Bush having the capture staged now because he is desperate with Dean's campaign rising. Seriously, where in hell do these kooks come from?

Oh yes...several of them are professors at Berkeley or homeless advocates in San Francisco and others still are denizens of tinseltown but I digress. The left has been left mercifully speechless for at least today. Next to the capture of Saddam, that may be the best Christmas present so far. Of course several of you will confront members of the PoS party, The Party of Sedition, the democrat party today at work. They will no doubt attempt to wipe the smile of self satisfaction off your face. I can hear them already, well where are the weapons of mass destruction? The war is trumped up and we supported Saddam for years....When the lefties start in, just remind them that geopolitics sometimes makes for strange bedfellows. Point out to them that Saddam came to power during the same time as that other 70's regime, the Carter Administration. Then nudge them along with the acknowledgement that yes, we did support Saddam during the 80's. A necessary by-product of the realpolitik of the times. Remember, the US had just had an act of war committed against it by the Islamofascists in Iran. At the time, prudence dictated support for an Iraq standing against Iran. We have now corrected that error. Perhaps the mullahs in Iran will take note, they could be next. Of course the leftist agitators will eventually trot out the same tired party line about this war only being fought for oil. I always like to leave these intellectually bereft folks with the following observation....If we only wanted the oil, then why didn't we just stay and take it after the First Gulf War?....the look on their faces while they grasp for an explanation is priceless and usually a good time to walk crisply away chuckling....

Now then, in honor of Saddam's capture, I'm reposting a recipe I sent out to the old e-mail list back in April when the missiles first started flying. I called this recipe, Saddam's Short Ribs...I hope you enjoy it, because he won't be...

Take a couple pounds (approx. 4) of beef short ribs. Season with salt and pepper. Season a cup of flour with salt and pepper. (I like to use Kosher Salt for all of this) Dredge the ribs lightly in the flour mixture and throw them in some hot olive oil to brown. Once browned, remove the ribs from the skillet and transfer them to a slow cooker. Sprinkle in a packet of Lipton Beefy Onion soup mix. Slice four carrots, a turnip and a couple red potatoes and toss them into the slow cooker with the ribs. Now add a half cup of red wine and about 8 oz of water. Set the cooker on low and let her go for about 6 hrs. Finally add a bag of frozen peas and pearl onions about 1 hour before serving. Check the meat for tenderness and adjust the cooking time accordingly. That meat'll be falling off the bone.

Smilin' Paul Villa U.S. Senate 2004
cyber-Congressman, R-Reno
Proud Member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and 2 SUV Family