The blog posts considered for this batch.

Alternative added selection of blogs.

Dirtbag of The Year
rockass.net

Wow, I thought for sure K Fed would win dirtbag celebrity of the year for threatening to release his Britney sex tapes, I mean how will he explain this behavior to their kids as they get old enough to be aware. It's not like he can hide it from them.

Now it seems the award is claimed, AGAIN by O.J. Simpson. Come on dude, give someone else a shot, you've had your moment in the spotlight in the toilet. But no, the stingy attention-whore, he's back, with a book called "If I Did It." In the book he explains how he would have committed the murders, if he'd committed the murders, hypothetically of course. WOW! I'm just so amazed. This may be the strangest celebrity news of the century. I hope O.J. has his acceptance speech ready. With less than two months left in 2006 I'm pretty sure the title is his for the taking. ...

Thanking the Forlorn Hope
calitics.com

In the first couple centuries of European warfare following the introduction of gunpowder, giant medieval walls met cannons and explosives. Eventually, the cannons and sappers would blow a gap in the wall. Then a group of volunteers, called in the British Army "The Forlorn Hope," would charge the gap. Those men almost always died, but their sacrifice was necessary to draw the fire of the defenders and force them to expend their ammunition, so the second wave of attackers could get through the breach. Survivors, if any, were promoted to officer.

The 50-state, 435-district strategy requires that many Democratic candidates serve as a forlorn hope. These Democratic candidates ran in heavily Republican districts where they had little to no chance to win. But they forced the Republicans to spend money and resources simply to retain their seats, were there to take advantage of mistakes or scandal, and helped to build and energize infrastructure in those districts... While we're all celebrating the victory of last Tuesday, let us thank the Democrats' forlorn hope. ... they probably won this for us. In California, ... that means that I want to thank these candidates and all of their campaign staff and volunteers: Charlie Brown, ... David Roth, ... Francine Busby, ... Bill Durston, ... Jill Martinez, ... Roberto Rodriguez. ... Thanks to all of you. You made this victory possible.

Spin Digest
annika.mu.nu

[S]ince the election ... punditry has coalesced into two distinct themes. I'll digest them for you right now, so you can enjoy the rest of the week without having to bother with the news at all.

The Right: Republicans lost because they didn't try to please the conservative base. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that most Americans are pissed about Iraq, don't believe the President's "stay the course" line anymore, and think it's time to either win or get out. No, the election was really about prescription drug entitlements.

The Left: Not only is Nancy Pelosi really smart and a grandmother, she isn't liberal at all. She's actually a centrist. All Americans are ecstatic that she's in charge of the country. Except for those Republicans, who are very sad.. ... On the other hand, George H.W. Bush is in charge of the country, which would normally be bad, except we like him now.

Take the rest of the week off, but don't forget to visit here as often as possible for more essential analysis.

Romania Will Not Abandon Iraq
californiaconservative.org

Bottom Line Up Front: Romania's honor is greater than the Democrats'.

Romanian President Traian Basescu said Saturday that ... Romania will not abandon Iraq by redeploying its 608 non-combatant personnel currently stationed there.

"We cannot consider withdrawing and abandoning Iraq in the current situation. We will maintain our commitment.

"An exit strategy is a matter of concern for us, and we are building it with our main allies, the U.S. and the U.K. But the states that form the coalition cannot abandon Iraq as it is now. We have an obligation to the Iraqi people. We will leave when the local authorities can provide security for the people."

Basescu said he empathized with the families who plead for troop withdrawal from Iraq, but stands by Romania's commitment adding, "There are pressures from families and the public in general, but Romanians also understand very well that Romania has a commitment to its allies.

"Romania's honor is greater than its feelings. We will stay because it is a dishonor to leave your allies."

While the political atmosphere may be similar in both Romania and the United States regarding the struggle for peace in Iraq, both Presidents have the fortitude to understand honor, duty and commitment. The Democratic cry for withdrawal stands in stark contrast to the Romanian decision to place its country's honor over sentiment, recognizing the dishonor of withdrawing, not to mention the unfairness of the situation for Iraqis. The families of US troops, along with the soldiers themselves, overwhelmingly want to remain in Iraq until it is stable enough to maintain its own security. This is clearly evidenced by the recruitment and re-enlistment rate in 2006, in which every active duty branch of service either met or exceeded it's goal of 100% or more.

The question then becomes, "How do so-called compassionate Democrats justify the disastrous consequence for Iraqis and the Middle East if the United States abandons Iraq?"

Hilarious quote of the day
arrangingmatches.typepad.com

"Kids want a gift for the holiday season that is fun."
--Bill Grein, vice president of Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, after turning down 4,000 talking Jesus dolls.

I'm all for the talking Jesus dolls. While we're at it, let's throw in some Mohammeds (which you're not really allowed to do, but we'll improvise), a couple hundred Buddahs, a box of Vishnus, maybe some Chuck Darwins, a whole lot of Dale Earnhardt Jr. dolls and a thousand Flying Spaghetti Monsters. Just trying to cover the many things people might worship.

Have a blog or know a regional blog we should be watching? Contact John Hughes .

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