I Can't Help Myself

Probably because Brigham has been out of town, Will and Andrew came down with the flu last night, and I fell ill in the presunrise hours of this morning. I had to change my bed sheets and bathe Will at 2 am after he vomited on my bed, himself and me. Somehow, though, I actually didn't feel too horrible getting up at 6 with my two insane boys. Both kids were in pretty good spirits, and I had Katie in the house with me. Just knowing that I could call on her to take over somehow gave me the energy to not even need to do that.

So, when it comes to my sick kids and my sick self, I can help myself out. But I can't stop myself from posting these bits of politics on my blog, even though I realize that it probably bugs or maybe even offends some of you guys, and even though I know that there is very little chance that Obama will not be our next Commander in Chief. I will let my favorite political columnist take it from here:

The idea that the United States must somehow rehabilitate itself in the eyes of the United Nations or NATO or "world opinion" is staggering, even though it is an idea very popular in the mainstream media.


The first duty of a President of the United States is to protect American interests — of which survival is number one — regardless of what others may say.


Virtually the whole world condemned Israel when it bombed Saddam Hussein's nuclear facilities back in 1981. But Israel understood that its survival was more important than international popularity.


Let us hope that today's Israeli government understands that issue the same way as regards Iran, since ours may not.


Despite the media hype that we need to rehabilitate ourselves in the eyes of the world, the United States of America remains the number one destination of immigrants from around the world, some of whom take desperate chances with their lives to get here, whether across the waters of the Caribbean or by crossing our dangerous southwest desert.


Even when dozens of governments around the world join the United States in coordinated efforts to fight international terrorism, the media will call our actions "unilateral" if some demagogues in France or Germany spout off against us.


The American nuclear umbrella has enabled Western European nations to escape responsibility for their own military survival for more than half a century.


Lack of responsibility has bred irresponsibility, one sign of which are unionized troops in NATO and NATO bomber pilots who have office hours when they will and will not fly, not to mention NATO troops letting American troops handle the really dangerous fighting in Afghanistan.


Maybe the time is overdue for NATO to try to rehabilitate itself and for Americans to stop trying to be "citizens of the world."