The word on the street is that President Bush and his junta had made plans to invade Iraq and depose Saddam Hussein long before Sept. 11, 2001. The word was first brought to light by former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Niell in his just released book. Of course this is all the word the leftists and democrats need to begin attacking the President for pursuing his foreign policy. I'm here to tell you. This story has zero...repeat zero legs. O'Neill made the rounds of the talking head forums over the weekend pumping sales and telling anyone who would listen that he is no disgruntled ex-employee. After all he's rich and old and they (presumably the same they that fly the black helicopters and have arranged the unholy alliance of the Bush and Bin Laden Empires) can't hurt him.

Of course the socialists are jumping for joy that a former Bush cabinet member is now running off at the mouth accusing the administration of plotting war on Iraq long before the Sept. 11 attacks. Hold the horses there commies. First off, O'Neill was never a team player and he had plenty of run ins with the Bush administration during his tenure. O'Neill had a reputation as some one who shot off his mouth before he engaged his brain. A type who could easily be seen as not a team player. A churlish little boy who would pick up his ball and go home if not given his way.

Next, if you saw the SECRET memos that O'Neill provided the talking heads as his basis for the allegations about Bush and Iraq, you would have noted that some of them were dated January 2001. President Bush had been in office only a matter of days at the time of those memos being time stamped. Anyone with an IQ above a toaster (which eliminates a great deal of democrat voters) would realize that these memos had to have been studied and written by bureaucrats put in place during the previous administration. For those of you on the left, that would be the administration of IMPEACHED ex-president Clinton.

Lastly, for those of you with little to no knowledge of the military let me explain why a memo outlining war with Iraq is no bombshell. The U.S. Military habitually renews and revises war plans for every nation on earth. Yes, I would wager that somewhere in the vaults at the Five Sided Sodom on Potomac, there is even a contingency war plan for war with Great Britain, our staunchest ally. This is what we pay them for. Preparedness because as the Romans understood, those who would avoid war, prepare for it. Of course we had plans to invade Iraq. Naturally, any comprehensive war plan would make provision for post war administration. We are not the Huns, Visigoths or Mongols. When we break something, we inevitably spend a fortune in taxpayer dollars rebuilding it for our former enemies.

In any event, the O'Neill story is a non-starter.....besides, I'm much more bent out of shape by the immigration proposal than any Iraqi warplan no matter when it was conceived. I'm going to have more to say about this proposal this week I'm sure but I need to study it some more. Now then let's get on to food.

I admit it, I cheat, I love the crock pot. It is such a useful tool and this is the perfect time of year to put it to use. Let some tough ol' leathery piece of meat cook in that thing for 8-12 hrs and you have transformed meat from unchewable to falling off the bone tender. Add that function to the fact that we buy a 1/4 beef every year means there is no shortage of grass fed beef roasts to throw in the cooker. Today we enjoyed a round bone roast with vegetables and it was soooo easy.

1 beef roast, (chuck, 7 bone or round bone are all good)
1 jar, 4 oz. of prepared horseradish
salt and pepper to taste
1 can of Swanson's beef broth
2 celery stalks sliced about 1/4"
4 small potatos quartered
1 can of green beans
1 package of frozen vegetables, (my pack contained cauliflower, lima beans, carrots and broccoli.)

Season the roast with salt and pepper. Then coat it with the jar of horseradish. Place the roast into the cooker and pour in the beef broth. Set it on high and let it go for two hours. After an hour, add the vegetables and turn the heat down to low. Let it go all day. I cooked mine for about 9 hrs and it was fork tender. Serve it up with nice french bread and you have a wonderful comfort style meal that'll stick to your ribs and warm you up on a cold winter night. Next weeks recipe is going to be Pancho's Planicie Libre Texas Red Chili....Good eatin' on ya!!

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