So what made me think of Harry Potter this morning?

My prior postings this morning were about music, birds, even Harry Potter.  This is, what my wife would describe as generally a "isn't it pretty outside, let's enjoy nature" mood that struck me and rightfully it should make everyone throw up. 

Last night I checked email before bed and also wanted to see if by chance the NYTimes online was out. It was shortly after 11p, and I watched the page turn into today's opinion page from yesterdays when I refreshed so I missed the publication by a few seconds. Of course Maureen Dowd is a fav so I read her column and wrote a note to it:

"It takes a lot of courage to stand up to your enemies and even more courage to stand up to your friends. I'm sorry that the good Mr. Blair wasn't more of a student of Harry Potter and less cow towed by Mr. Bush and the continually awful Mr. Cheney.  His country and now he appear to suffer in the consequences of not standing firm when a friend is hell bent to drive the ship of state up on the rocks."

Then I read Frank Rich's entree and was so mad that I watched the Military Channel far into the night (my team picks on college football fantasy game also went from 7 of 8 correct to 7 of 15 correct in short order - not a good night).

I'm pretty convinced now that American politics is a bad dream.  On one hand we had a candidate who seemingly had lost mind and went so far as to invite a nitwit onto the scene and now it turns out we have a president who is so afraid of upsetting someone that he acts like a namby-pamby, afraid to hurt anyone's feelings.

Tony Blair, a seemingly good fellow, now regrets not standing up to Bush and Cheney regarding Iraq...wow another 'let me clear my conscience' moment a la McNamara and his Viet Nam memoires...and a current president who wants to let 'bygones be bygones'.

Just once in my lifetime I wish we had leadership who pushes back in support of truth...not politics but truth. If you in the right, stop being a sissy and say so. Don't back off if you are right. Stand up to the bullies and liars and provocateurs and let 'em have it.  Blair didn't and he is writing about it now....way too late.  If Mr. Obama doesn't step on the gas pretty soon, when he writes his "I wish i did..." book in a few years, I won't buy it.

And a note to you republicans....find a good candidate..someone decent..for in the small chance you win an election, I would like a choice not just some doddering fool or an empty skirt.