A Year Ago

A year ago the two big stories of the day were President Bush's speech on Iraq and Sandra Day O'Connor stepping down from the Supreme Court. Bush's speech was well received and most of the media got the message that the public was sick of the quagmire talk. O'Connor was to be replaced by John Roberts who soon would be replacing Chief Justice William Rehnquist instead. The media tried to build up Roberts as a threat to civil liberties for years to come but his nomination process and his actions since joining the court have quelled any public gnashing of teeth.

Last year at this time the baseball hopes of the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles were riding high.

What a difference a year makes.

This year the top two recent stories are about not whether the New York Times wants us to lose in Iraq but whether they can be prosecuted for their actions which some have deemed treasonous. Also topping the recent news is the Congress turning down a flag burning amendment to the Constitution.

What a difference a year makes.

Last year the question was whether we could win in Iraq but today I think most people agree that things aren't as bad in Iraq as the newspaper people were trying to make you believe. One indication that things are positive in Iraq is the fact that you no longer see any stories about the economy in Iraq or about failing infrastructure. And just think - if the Code Pink folks want to burn an American flag to protest the war in Iraq - they are still free to do so and they can still be guaranteed that the New York Times will cover their protest no matter how few people show up.