‘Twas the day we gave thanks, sat around a crowded table with family while the big bird, or in some cases, the tofu alternative, was being carved and President Bush serving up mashed potatoes in Iraq. Seems like just another ordinary, tryptophane-filled Thanksgiving Day, right? To you and me it was, but aside from the lonely Laura Bush, some thousands of troops were delighted to see their commander-in-chief over on their side of the world. However, while many were shocked at the surprise of the President’s visit, some democrats were not so thrilled about his secret flight.
So it happened like this: Bush took off and was escorted by his airborne cavalry and landed in Baghdad after swearing the media to secrecy. Some will call this cowardly; I call it protecting the goods. Even though our enemies are supposed to have high enough technology to build these “weapons of mass destruction,” and could detect his entrance, you still have to give the guy credit for doing what he did. Sometimes you just have to wonder if the real reason democratic presidential candidates are so bitter is because President Bush did something they wanted to do first. Some could have had this whole glorious set up in their mind; the cheers, the press, and that warm, fuzzy feeling that you did something that made someone else feel good (in a non-Monica Lewinsky way). Even if they blame the President for another act of publicity, they have to give him credit where it is due, especially since he remembered to remove the parachute this time. Obviously he knows that Iraq is a dangerous place to be—not exactly where you would want to take a family
Perhaps this was a ploy to divert the attention on the happenings of Congress these days. Maybe some more press should go to the Medicare bill that just passed, which seems more like a “look, here, take it; we finally did something about health insurance for the elderly, now go away” act. Even though my age group isn’t directly involved with Medicare, just hearing about it can make masses nauseous. You hear it from the commercially bought media stations, the people in the grocery store, waiting in the incredible lines on Black Friday, and the general feeling I received is that not everyone is exactly thrilled about this Medicare deal. Apparently $395 billion for 40 million older and disabled Americans doesn’t go far enough for prescription plans and basic health care. I’ll leave you to pick up a newspaper for more on that issue. I’m feeling sick already.
Anyway, as we all come back to reality, stuffed up on leftovers, and start preparing for the dreaded finals week, we need to keep in mind how lucky we are to be here with our friends and family and to have had the opportunity to spend time with those we love this past Thanksgiving break. Many were not so lucky, as they were doing what they signed up to do, to protect and serve ours and many other nations with their lives hoping to make this world a safer place for all. Those are the people who I give my thanks to.
