Theodore's World

Soldiers from 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division and 4th Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division go through dry runs and other training before their air assault mission. Later that night, after being flown in by 3-227th the Soldiers would storm Qarghuli Village looking for insurgents known to be hiding out. (U.S. Army Photo by Capt. Christopher Sanchez, 4-31st, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division)

“Werewolves” Carry Out Same Mission 41 Years Later
By Spc. Nathan J. Hoskins, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade Public Affairs
CAMP TAJI, Iraq
They say history is written by the victorious. That’s why for 41 years the 1st Cavalry Division has been writing the history of air assaults.
Soldiers of 3rd Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, are carrying on the air assault mission, which started Nov. 14, 1965 in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam.
As told in the book, “We Were Soldiers Once … and Young,” and later as a feature film, it was 41 years ago when Lt. Col. Hal Moore took the grounds of Landing Zone X-Ray with Soldiers of 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, and started what would be the newest and most innovative way to place Soldiers on the battlefield – by helicopter.
On that same day 41 years later, aviators from 3-227th carried on the traditions of the 1st Cavalry Division’s air units with their first air assault mission since hitting the grounds in Iraq. The Company A “Werewolves” dropped off infantry Soldiers ready to carry out their mission to seek out and capture insurgents.
From the humble beginnings of a young, newly created unit, to training and heading straight into combat, 3-227th and 1/7th share an uncanny resemblance, said Capt. Lee Evans, commander of the Werewolves.
Like the 1/7th four decades ago, 3-227th stood up as a unit shortly before deploying.

“We were given less than six months when we were formed as a battalion [before heading to Iraq], and even then we weren’t completely formed,” said Evans.

Not long after 1/7th “Air Cav” became reorganized – and lost some of its more experienced men – it headed off to Vietnam. This made the unit smaller and less experienced.
The 1/7th Cav, as a complete unit, was not in country for more than a month when the order came down to take the Ia Drang Valley. It did not matter how experienced or inexperienced a Soldier was, there was a job to be done.
Much like the 1/7th Cav, 3-227th was reorganized quickly and had many inexperienced pilots in regards to air assaults, said Evans.

“A lot of people in our unit came from general support battalions, which still conduct air assaults, but it isn’t their bread and butter,” Evans said.

But the aviators of 3-227th, quickly became familiar with air assaults through rigorous training when they headed to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., and also to the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La. – both training areas where Soldiers go to ready themselves for battle, said Evans.
With less than six months under their belts as a unit, two of those training at NTC and JRTC, the Soldiers of 3-227th quickly cased their colors and headed to the Middle East.
Some aspects of this first air assault are familiar in regards to what their predecessors faced on the grounds of LZ X-Ray, said Brunswick, Maine, native 1st Lt. Douglas Livermore, a plans officer for 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division “Polar Bears.”

“We were air assaulting into an isolated and alien environment, far from possible help from our comrades. We had to rely on each other and our training to accomplish the mission and get everyone home,” he said.

Livermore’s words echoed those of a historic quote from Moore, on the subject of Soldiers relying on each other.

“American Soldiers in battle don’t fight for what some president says on T.V., they don’t fight for mom, apple pie, the American Flag … they fight for one another,” said Moore.

After being inserted into their LZ, the ground troops, a mix from 4-31st and 4th Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, led by Iraqi Army Capt. Ibraheim Jmile Abed, would go on to clear multiple houses in the dead of night, routing any insurgents hiding in Qarghuli Village, said Capt. Christopher Sanchez, the non-lethal coordinator for 4-31st.
For those who jump out into the fray of danger and uncertainty, a lot has changed since Vietnam. In Iraq, the enemy is not gathered in force as it was in the North Vietnamese Army.

“While the Soldiers of 1/7 CAV faced challenges more intense in terms of sheer violence, we have been forced to deal with an opponent who uses stealth and deceit to avoid our advantages. Not to detract from their battle, but ours has greater complexity due to the multiple facets involved,” said Livermore.

“In Vietnam the fight was similar [to Iraq] in that they had some insurgency where the enemy didn’t have a uniform, but there was a much more concerted effort to stand up to us – to face us,” said Missoula, Mont., native Chief Warrant Officer 2 Emmanuel Vero, a UH-60 Black Hawk pilot for Company A, 3-227th.

Things have also changed for the pilots and crews of the aircraft since 1965, in regards to the basic concept of air mobile, in the technology used and in the combat seen, said Evans.
During the Vietnam conflict, groups the size of battalions were moved into locations to fight battles. Now units the size of companies or smaller are strategically placed to accomplish a specific mission, said Evans.

“Air Assaults take [the air mobility concept] a little bit further … it’s more of a combined arms effort … the element of surprise is essential,” said Evans.

With the more powerful helicopters, aviators of today have an advantage over the UH-1 Iroquois “Huey” pilots of Vietnam, Evans said.
The speed and agility of the Black Hawk supersedes that of the Huey, and aviators now have the innovation of night vision enabling them to move stealthily towards and away from target landing zones, he said.
Although dangerous, the Polar Bears take advantage of the night insertions and are energized with their precarious mission.

“It is always exciting to fly blacked out, landing in [an] area known not to be safe and watching your ride fly away,” said Maj. Robert Griggs, the 4-31st operations officer.

One evident difference between the fight fought in the Ia Drang Valley and the one presently in Iraq is the stressors of such a high casualty count, said Vero.

“To every day be responsible to go in against an actual military force is something we don’t do … (the enemy in Vietnam) wasn’t an insurgency, it wasn’t a group of farmers with guns; that was a well trained, well organized military,” said Vero.

“What we have [in Iraq] are almost more like thugs. I don’t give them the same respect. They don’t have the courage to wear a uniform or stand for what they believe in,” he said.

The fight that the Soldiers, ground and aviators alike, have to face now pales in comparison to the fight that those men took on in the Ia Drang Valley, said Vero.

“The date was the same; the mission was a lot different. Those men – I would have to stand on a ladder to touch their shadow; they’re kind of above and beyond me,” Vero said in reflection.

With an impressive history and lineage behind them, Soldiers of 3-227th feel they have done well in honoring the memory of those who came before them, said Evans.

“In trying to uphold that lineage, if [the veterans of LZ X-Ray] could have seen what happened over here on the 14th of November, I think they would’ve been proud that we were able to accomplish the mission in the manner that we did,” he said.

“We did well on making the LZ that night, but honestly, the only standard that we can be held to is that everyone

got in there safely and everyone got out of there safely and those are the numbers we really care about,” said Vero.

Although the pilots get them to their designated place at the designated time, they have respect for the ground units’ valor in such a dangerous job, said Vero.

“At the end of the day, we’re doing eight minutes in danger and they’ve got 50 hours to look forward to. We are just a small sliver of their day. If we can make that small sliver any better or safer for them, then that’s an honor for us,” he said.

And it all boils down to completing the mission, one that aviators of 3-227th are proud of. One that has lasted for 41 years and continues this day with the same unit it began with – the “Air Cav.”

“This isn’t what we do for a living; this is our life’s work. You will only find that in people who take their personal military profession to heart,” Vero said. “Every one of these guys are my brothers – I’m just proud to be apart of the Alpha Company Werewolves.”

Muslim woman cites gym after interrupted prayer
Dearborn resident says her complaint to Fitness USA manager about patron went unheeded.
Gregg Krupa /
The Detroit News
DEARBORN — Fitness USA, a gym chain, is investigating an alleged civil rights violation involving a local Muslim woman who says her afternoon prayer was interrupted by a fellow patron, and that her complaint to management about the situation was rejected.

“The manager told me, ‘You have to respect her (the patron), but she does not have to respect your God,'” said Wardeh Sultan of Dearborn. “I’ve had my membership for seven or eight years, and I’ve never had a problem with praying there.

“I told that manager, ‘I can’t believe you said that’ ” Sultan said. “Honestly, I feel humiliated and I feel ashamed, right now, to go back to Fitness USA.”

Local representatives of Fitness USA, which operates branches throughout Metro Detroit and in two other states, referred all inquiries regarding the matter to their corporate offices.

“We will, as we will with any complaint involving our staff and a member, be doing a full and thorough investigation of the matter and take any appropriate action we need to take,” said Jodi Berry, executive director of Fitness USA. “We want every member to get a good exercise experience every time they come to the club.”

Berry said she learned of the complaint on Monday.
The allegations are among a series of recent complaints by Muslims who say they are free to practice their religion in the United States, until someone tells them they cannot. Recently, the same Fitness USA facility enacted a new dress code to allow Muslim women to wear more modest clothing, in compliance with some Islamic practices.
Two weeks ago, six Muslim clerics were removed from a U.S. Airways flight after three of them said their evening prayers in the St. Paul-Minneapolis International Airport.
Passengers and employees of the airline said later that their suspicions were aroused when the men were overheard making comments critical of the United States, and because the men had one-way tickets and no baggage.
The airline and the civil rights office of U.S. Department of Homeland Security are investigating that incident.
Imad Hamad, regional director of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, which lodged a formal complaint with Fitness USA on behalf of Sultan, said the recent spate of conflicts results from a growing intolerance of Islam and a growing restiveness among Muslims that their rights to speak freely and worship are increasingly at risk.

“They (Muslims) are resenting that they are to be suppressed from expressing themselves freely, like others,” Hamad said.

“It’s OK for a Christian fellow or a Jewish fellow to pray, and it would be regarded highly and respected. When it comes to a person of Muslim faith, especially if a woman is wearing the head cover or a man with a typical clergy outfit, yeah, it is becoming like something that is offensive to people and making them nervous.”

Sultan said that, like all pious Muslims, she prays five times daily. She also wears a veil and a long dress, in observance of her faith.
Born in Jordan, of Palestinian descent, Sultan arrived in Detroit 17 years ago, before moving to Dearborn. She is an American citizen.
Sultan said she came to the United States to secure her freedom and to avoid intolerance.

“We’re here in the great United States and for this happening, it truly breaks my heart,” she said. “You know, things are starting to change backwards, instead of frontward. We need to keep this United States, our country, up on our shoulders. We don’t want it to go down.”

UPDATE since the story was written above:

Wardeh Sultan, the Palestinian Muslim chick, got in the way in the women’s locker room and picked a fight with the women trying to get around her.
It appears that Sultan objected to other gym members’ exercise of free speech. It also appears that the whiny Muslim chick refused to identify herself to gym management and was being so disruptive, she was asked to leave and the police were called. The police arrived and questioned Sultan, and she was forced to leave.
And it looks like from the language used (“claimant”) that lawyers are already involved and a lawsuit is already being prepared:
ADC Michigan Concerned with Allegations Against Fitness USA
ADC Michigan is seriously concerned with a number of complaints that have been filed at its office, against Dearborn Fitness USA. Most recently, two female Muslim members were harassed by patrons and Fitness staff as they attempted to pray in the locker room. According to the information that ADC has received from the claimants and witnesses, the women were praying near the lockers when another patron began to make remarks and proceeded to push them. One of the claimants reported the incident. However, according to the claimant, the desk manager, rather than address the matter professionally, told the claimant that “she does NOT HAVE to respect your God, but you HAVE to respect her.” She then proceeded to ask the claimant for her card.
The claimant told the manager that she has done nothing wrong and refused to give her the card in fear of what she may do with it. The manager subsequently called the police and stated the claimant was “creating a disturbance and was asked to leave.” The claimant explained that she had not yelled, threatened, touched, or caused a disturbance, but rather brought the matter to the attention of the manager to explain what had happened to her. After being questioned by the police, the claimant left feeling fearful, humiliated and discriminated against. ADC Michigan is concerned with the inappropriate and unprofessional manner that this matter was handled and has requested that this matter is immediately addressed.

Wild Thing’s comment……..
Back in April I posted this ……..200 Burka Babes Take On Fitness Gym….. The women, Arrwa Mogalli and Ammerah Saidi, got their wish from doing their whine to the media and Islamic “civil rights” groups.
Well the Burka babes are at it again with this woman and her whine about her prayer being interrupted at a gym no less. And also please not how the writer of this article has his own slant on his pro Islam point of view.
And ever notice that their “offense” can be mollified by cold hard cash????
It is by design. They are testing, pushing. Look at how they have nearly consumed Europe. Look at Britain having areas controlled by Sharia law.
They are using our freedoms against us, to the point where religion will be THE dividing factor in this country- not race. Their goal is to abolish the Constitution. Period. And their so-called religion is not even a religion but a death cult so vile, horrible and destructive. It is not only a religion to the followers but the law they live under as well. Our laws are secondary if that to what they live by.
They are probing and pushing to see how far they can go before we snap. So far they have been incredibly successful in getting their way. They are learning that Americans are jellyfish without any will of their own. And we laugh at Europe? Our demise is right around the corner and we can’t even get our citizens to elect people who will fight rather than appease the enemy. We’re toast.

In “Christmastime, Back Home – A Soldier’s Prayer,” Sgt. Daniel M. Clark “portrays” a U.S. Soldier in Iraq singing about the blessings of Christmastime, back in the states. Sgt. Clark is a former U.S. Marine, and 20-year-veteran of the Massachusetts State Police. The video was filmed at Otis Air National Guard Base, Cape Cod, MA and at locations throughout New England at Christmastime.
I am so sorry to all you Veterans and troops serving today that frequent my blog. I have been requested to remove the video, even though it was at YOUTube as available to anyone that wanted to post it and share it with others.
Apparently this person that owns the video is not sincere in their desire to support the troops. How sad is that.
Here is the email I received.
Name: Maureen
Email Address: macondon@erols.com
Comments:
Please remove the “Christmastime Back Home” video from this site. You do not have my permission to post it.
I am the owner of the copyright.
Sincerely,
Maureen Condon

And this email as well
I do support the troops, but I think our going into Iraq was a big mistake. We should have focused on finding Osama.
What specifically caused me to ask that you remove the video was the comment on your site that Clinton was Communist. That is simply not correct.
I’m a liberal Democrat and very patriotic American. I respect your views. I hope you’ll respect mine.
I know you’ll appreciate where I’m coming from if you listen to another one of my songs, called “We Are Americans”
http://users.rcn.com/macondon/index.htm?sidelines=1
Sincerely,
Maureen

7:00 P.M. Opening flag burning.
7:15 P.M. Pledge of allegiance to U.N.
7:30 P.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast
7:30 – 8:00 P.M. Nonreligious prayer and worship. Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton.
8:00 P.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.
8:05 P.M. Ceremonial tree hugging.
8:15- 8:30 P.M. Gay Wedding–Barney Frank presiding.
8:30 P.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.
8:35 P.M. Free Saddam Rally. Cindy Sheehan– Susan Sarandon.
9:00 P.M. Keynote speech. The proper etiquette for surrender–French President Jacques Chirac
9:15 P.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.
9:20 P.M. Collection to benefit Osama Bin Laden kidney transplant fund
9:30 P.M. Unveiling of plan to free freedom fighters from Guantanamo Bay–Sean Penn
9:40 P.M. Why I Hate the Military, A short talk by William Jefferson Clinton
9:45 P.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast
9:50 P.M. Dan Rather presented Truth in Broadcasting Award, presented by Michael Moore, future Supreme Court nominee
9:55 P.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast
10:00 P.M. How George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld brought down the World Trade Center Towers– Howard Dean
10:30 P.M. Nomination of Hillary Rodham Clinton by Mahmud Ahnadinejad
11:00 P.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast
11:05 P.M. Al Gore reinvents Internet
11:15 P.M. Our Troops are War Criminals– John Kerry
11:30 P.M. Coronation Of Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton
12:00 A.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast
12:05 A.M. Bill asks Ted to drive Hillary home

Some Iranian Visa Holders Sent Home
The Orange County Register
Some Iranian citizens traveling to Santa Clara this weekend for a reunion of graduates and professors from a Tehran university have been stopped at U.S. airports and told the visas they were carrying had been revoked.
The State Department on Thursday refused to say why some Iranians coming to the conference with visas approved by U.S. consulates abroad are being denied entry, detained overnight and then sent back to Iran. Event organizers said they know of 20 who have so far been turned away. More than 100 additional Iranian nationals are due at the weekend event.
“We knew that it was going to be difficult to get U.S. visas for the Iranians,” said Fredun Hojabri of San Diego, founder of the Sharif University of Technology Association, a worldwide group of former students and professors associated with the 40-year-old school. But Hojabri said over the course of four months he had helped about 150 prospective participants at this weekend’s combination reunion and conference work through the process to get visas.
Among those whose visas were revoked was Ali Edrissi, a doctoral student at Sharif University. Bahman Pouranpir, Edrissi’s uncle and an industrial engineer from Irvine, waited for about six hours at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday for Edrissi and his bride, Sara Nadimi.

“I don’t expect this to happen,” Edrissi added. “If the visa was given then they shouldn’t take it back.”

Most of the Iranians who wanted to come here were given visas while some were denied, Hojabri said. But beginning early this week, he began to get messages from participants that they, and in some cases their families, were being sent back to Iran.
An unknown number were stopped at LAX. Hojabri said he also believes some were blocked from entering in Chicago and Toronto.

“We’re not political,” said Hojabri, who has lived in the United States since 1981 and is a former UC San Diego professor. “We are an association mostly to help each other scientifically and professionally.”

Iran is one of five countries listed as states that sponsor terrorism and as such, visa applications from there are scrutinized more closely than from other countries. The U.S. does not have an embassy or consulate there, which is why the Iranians seeking to come here had to get their visas from Dubai and other consulates.

Wild Thing’s comment……..
I could care less if they like it or not. Hey Muzziebrain, we are at war with Islam………hello!!

WASHINGTON – Unable to win Senate confirmation, U.N. Ambassador John Bolton will step down when his temporary appointment expires within weeks, the White House said Monday.
Bolton’s nomination has languished in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for more than a year, blocked by Democrats and several Republicans. Sen. Lincoln Chafee (news, bio, voting record), a moderate Republican who lost in the midterm elections Nov. 7 that swept Democrats to power in both houses of Congress, was adamantly opposed to Bolton.
Critics have questioned Bolton’s brusque style and whether he could be an effective public servant who could help bring reform to the U.N.
President Bush, in a statement, said he was :

“deeply disappointed that a handful of United States senators prevented Ambassador Bolton from receiving the up or down vote he deserved in the Senate. They chose to obstruct his confirmation, even though he enjoys majority support in the Senate, and even though their tactics will disrupt our diplomatic work at a sensitive and important time,” Bush said. “This stubborn obstructionism ill serves our country, and discourages men and women of talent from serving their nation.”

Sen.John Kerry, D-Mass, said Bolton’s departure could be a turning point for the administration.

“With the Middle East on the verge of chaos and the nuclear threats from Iran and North Korea increasing, we need a United Nations ambassador who has the full support of Congress and can help rally the international community to tackle the serious threats we face,” Kerry said. He said it was an opportunity for Bush to nominate an ambassador “who enjoys the support necessary to unite our country and the world and who can put results ahead of ideology.”

Bush gave Bolton the job temporarily in August 2005, while Congress was in recess. Under that process, the appointment expires when Congress formally adjourns, no later than early January.
The White House resubmitted Bolton’s nomination last month. But with Democrats capturing control of the next Congress, his chances of winning confirmation appeared slight. The incoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Democratic Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, said he saw “no point in considering Mr. Bolton’s nomination again.”
While Bush could not give Bolton another recess appointment, the White House was believed to be exploring other ways of keeping him in the job, perhaps by giving him a title other than ambassador. But Bolton informed the White House he intended to leave when his current appointment expires, White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino said.
Bush planned to meet with Bolton and his wife later Monday in the Oval Office.
Bush said he accepted Bolton’s decision with deep regret.

“He served his country with extraordinary dedication and skill, assembling coalitions that addressed some of the most consequential issues facing the international community,” the president said. “During his tenure, he articulately advocated the positions and values of the United States and advanced the expansion of democracy and liberty.

“Ambassador Bolton led the successful negotiations that resulted in unanimous Security Council resolutions regarding North Korea’s military and nuclear activities. He built consensus among our allies on the need for Iran to suspend the enrichment and reprocessing of uranium,” Bush added. “His efforts to promote the cause of peace in Darfur resulted in a peacekeeping commitment by the United Nations. He made the case for United Nations reform because he cares about the institution, and wants it to become more credible and effective.”

Bolton, who pushed strongly for U.N. reform, has had strained relations with many in the U.N. Secretariat, led by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and has repeatedly called for all top U.N. officials to leave when Annan steps down as U.N. chief on Dec. 31 and is replaced by Ban Ki-moon.

“I think Ambassador Bolton did the job he was expected to do,” Annan said Monday morning when asked about Bolton’s resignation. “He came at a time when we had lots of tough issues from reform to issues on Iran and North Korea. I think as a representative of the U.S, government, he pressed ahead with the instructions he had been given and tried to work as effectively as he could.”

As late as last month, Bush, through his top aides, said he would not relent in his defense of Bolton, despite unwavering opposition from Democrats who view Bolton as too combative for international diplomacy.
In a letter to Bush, dated last Friday, Bolton offered no reason for his decision.

“After careful consideration, I have concluded that my service in your administration should end when the current recess appoint expires,” Bolton wrote.

Wild Thing’s comment…..
I know we knew it was coming but nonetheless it is still sad and has me very angry.
That F’ing Chaffee and the Rats won this round! They were elected to do a job! Reublicans should have behaved like leaders, like the majority they are instead of behaving as visitors!!!
Bush might as well nominate Pee Wee Herman. That’s what the Lib’s want. Islamofascists are hugging themselves and squealing with delight.
Thank You for your service, Mr. Bolton. It was refreshing to have someone in that den of thieves who actually stood up proudly for America.
God bless you.I am so sorry Mr. Bolton, for non men like Chafee that exist and for the vile Rats that hate America so much.

Caller from Aurora, Illnois:
Yes, Mr. Carter, thank you for making me a Republican—because of your incompetence in handling the Iranians and…your cozying up with every dictator, thug, Islamic terrorist there is. And more importantly, I find it to be vile because of [untelligible] (sounds like “your blackest heart”). Because you’re an anti-Semite. And let me explain why I think you’re a bigot and a racist and an anti-Semite…
Host interrupts: I think, caller, that the name-calling is fine—is enough. But look, these are the strong questions that are coming from people…

Wild Thing’s comment……
OK, watch Carters face. First he sits there smiling his big idiot smile, not even realizing what the caller is saying.
LMAO I love it, and then he does realize what is being said and his faces changes completely. hahahahaha

Iran: Parliament shortens Ahmadinejad’s term
YNet
Published: 12.03.06, 20:44
The Iranian parliament voted on Sunday to unite the presidential elections with the upcoming parliamentary ones, this according to the official Iranian news agency.
The proposal, which passed with a surprising 80 percent majority, may cut the term of sitting President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad by 18 months.
The bill must still be ratified by the Iranian constitutional committee, which is headed by former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Ahmadinejad’s arch-rival, a fact which many see as indicative that the bill will indeed be authorized.

Hashemi Rafsanjani

Rafsanjani himself is considered one of the most powerful politicians in Iran and is currently running for a position in the Assembly of Experts, an 86-strong body of ayatollahs who monitor the Iranian Supreme Leader (a position currently held by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei). The Assembly has the power to dismiss the Supreme Leader. Already existing tensions have heightened between Ahmadinejad and Rafsanjani as the latter is pitted directly against Ahmadinejad’s spiritual mentor Masbah Yazdi who is also vying for a spot on the Assembly of Experts.
One of the reasons cited in the proposal for bringing the two elections together is cutting the costs brought on by a double election. Opponents to the bill claimed that cutting the president’s term is unconstitutional and that parliament’s term should be extended to meet the original date for the presidential election.

Wild Thing’s comments……
What the heck???? Assembly of Experts hahaha
Has Stinky been a bad boy? Who knows? Maybe Howard Dean will defeat Mahmoud in a landslide 18 months from now.

Judge Us By Our Actions
Democrats have a tough job in protecting their recent election gains because:

“now it’s what we do and not what we say,” national chairman Howard Dean told party leaders Saturday.

“It’s what happens in Congress that will determine our message more than anything I say or what they say in Congress,” Dean said.

Democrats, who will run both the House and Senate come January, have outlined an agenda that includes overhauling ethics, raising the minimum wage and making college more affordable.
Dean said Democrats must prove to people in conservative and swing districts that they can earn the voters’ trust.

“Elections are not mandates. Elections are power being loaned to politicians for a two-year period by the voters of this country,” Dean said. “Now it’s our job to earn it back again in ’08.”

That approach is critical if Democrats are to build on their majority in Congress and retake the White House in 2008, said Dean, adding that Democrats did will in November because they appealed to all types of voters.

“George Bush made a huge mistake by representing half of America, while treating the rest of us with contempt,” Dean said. “We need to reach out to everybody whether they agree with us or not.”

Dean said he was pleased that Democrats drew more support than in the past “faith voters.” Democrats gained among religious voters, including those considered evangelical, because they talked about their values and competed in all parts of the country, Dean said.
Later Saturday, Democratic National Committee members planned to propose an incentive system to persuade states not to move their presidential nominating contents too early in the 2008 calendar.
The idea is to discourage jamming the primary calendar after moving up Nevada and South Carolina in the first wave of contests to increase diversity in the early contests.

Wild Thing’s comment……
It’s like I once heard a baseball umpire say: “When a pitcher loses his stuff, the batters think they just became better hitters.”
Similarly, the democrats think they just became America’s Most Popular and that everyone is going to indulge their little fantasies. “Oh, wow, we can end war and make employers pay everybody more, and we’ll make everyone apologize for being successful.”