Hit somebody. Anybody. Everybody. HARD.

Bush Failed To Protect Our Homeland from Attack First, Bush opposed the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.  Since 9/11, he’s failed to adequately fund our nation’s first responders, cutting first responder training grants by nearly half in his 2005 budget. Bush has failed to secure the nation’s ports and borders, properly screen air and sea cargo, or create a unified terror watch list. Today, only 5 percent of the cargo coming into the nation’s ports is properly screened, most air cargo goes unscreened, and only one border agent is available for patrol per every 5 miles of the U.S. Canadian border.  Bush has cut funding for first responder training by nearly half, cut port security grants by 75 percent, and has plans to cut DHS funding by $1 billion if he is re-elected. [www.omb.gov; Desert Morning News, 7/20/03; The Hill, 4/30/03; Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 8/01/04; Washington Post, 5/27/04]

Best line of the night came from one of Mr. Athenae’s colleagues, a lovely Brit whose American co-workers have gotten her hooked on the ups and downs of Bush like it’s the best soap opera in the land. I commented that Bush was giving his speech tonight, and the prim-looking girl took a big swig of her wine and said, “Even before the war, I thought he was a bit of a twat, honestly.”

We’ll see tomorrow if the reaction to Bush’s speech, which can be read here, recalls the response to his State of the Union. This reads much the same: a mishmash of federal programs mixed with some gay-bashing and some well-written, emotional but ultimately meaningless appeals to patriotism that we’ll have to work on separating from him.

Hopefully the response will be a resounding “eh.” Nothing in here blew me away with its political brilliance.

Bring on the debates, bitches!

A.