If the Surge has worked...

If the Surge has been a success as so many of the GOP leaders have proclaimed, then why have we not seen a reduction in troop levels?
The Patriots could claim that their game plan was a success right up until the point that the clock read 0:00, but in the end, they still lost.
It seems all too obvious that the Surge has only been successful enough to say things are staying at the status quo. If they were better than that we would be seeing a reduction.
The only time real success will be proclaimed by the White House is when the Oil Profit Sharing proposals have been accepted. We are just using the Surge to keep the level of violence down until we have their approval to steal their oil.
I am so proud of our troops (I have family members in Iraq) but equally as disgusted in our leadership that is essentially using a band-aid to cover up a tumor. We need to start helping Iraq rebuild its infrastructure instead of being the reason they need to rebuild.
I don't want to hear about the Surge working unless there are actual results we can measure the success by, like troops coming home or actual leaders being elected that stay in office for more than a month.
The current approach reminds me of other approaches the Bush Administration and GOP have in other aspects of life.
1: Maintain the status quo seems like their approach to healthcare as well. The Free Market approach does not work, quit claiming it does.
2: Just keep it good enough till we are out of office. Sounds like their approach to the economy, just lower the interest rates and keep us afloat till we can blame it on someone else.
And of course the old stand by's lie, deny and cover-up. Always effective.
I must warn you, according to Bush, if you have read this, the terrorists have won and socialism has now reached a threat level of super-red.
Good luck America.
My country used to be...

The HD40 Caucus

Looking back on Tuesday night’s events, the word that comes to mind is Amazing.

The number of people that made the choice to be part of history in this pivotal year astounded me. Whether those that attended supported Hillary Clinton or Barrack Obama, all were in good spirits and I am happy to say they were all patient as we worked through record setting numbers (1109 voters) to proclaim our choices. I was proud to see that there was now bickering or harsh words directed at supporters of either candidate. In fact, in the conversations I heard supporters of one candidate had nothing but kind words of encouragement for supporters of the other.

My hope is that this level of excitement, participation and awareness was not just a flash in the pan. We will need this type of turnout in November to make history and avoid another 4 years of trickle down economics, pro-war propaganda and blatant disregard for social reform in this country. I plead with all those involved to let this be the beginning of a new era in House District 40. It was easy to get together with a large number of like-minded neighbors and choose between the "better of two goods." The hard part will be talking to neighbors who are until now uninvolved or still supporting GOP ideals (Greed - Oppression - Poverty) and convincing them to get involved. Not just involved in the presidential race but in the other federal and local races as well. And not just in 2008 but from here on out.

The only way to return the government to the control of the people is if overwhelming numbers stand up and refuse to let those who have control continue to maintain it. The easy part is voting, the more important and more difficult part is taking the time to know what is being done in your name.
Thank you to all who participated and a big thank you to John Fulton and Steve Stanley who did an amazing job conducting business in what may go down in history as the largest caucus in HD 40 history (though I hope attendance is double next time).