HELPFUL HINT

If you ever wonder what the Democrats are up to, the best way to find out is to listen to what they are accusing Republicans of doing.  Case in point:

Kennedy:  Justice firings are keyed to '08 vote

WASHINGTON -- Senator Edward M. Kennedy yesterday accused President Bush of using the Department of Justice to further his administration's "right-wing ideology," saying that veteran prosecutors were replaced by political operatives in key states to ensure that "reliable partisans" are in place in time for the 2008 presidential election.

Kennedy noted that the recent rash of firings among US attorneys put new top prosecutors in place in several presidential swing states, including Florida, Iowa, New Mexico, Minnesota, and Arkansas.

At least two of the eight US attorneys fired by the administration refused to investigate spurious claims of voter fraud that were initiated by Republicans, Kennedy said. Two of the new US attorneys, meanwhile, had documented records of pursuing GOP goals, one as a Justice Department official and the other as a top aide to White House political adviser Karl Rove, he said.

"The administration views our system of justice as merely another arena for furthering its right-wing ideology," Kennedy said in a speech at the National Press Club. "The conclusion is inescapable that the administration has methodically placed reliable partisans in positions where they can influence the outcome of the 2008 election."

So, what does all this mean?  The way I see it, it means that the Dems' 2008 strategy must have included voter-fraud in key states, and the recent DOJ firings endanger that plan.  Ain't that a shame?

h/t: Drudge

ABC=DNC?

I was watching Good Morning America this morning, when I saw a report on the "purging" of US Attorneys by the Bush administration.  The report made this out to be a serious issue and an unprecented move.  When the report was over, they turned to acting co-anchor George Stephanopoulos for his take on the political ramifications of this.  Not one mention was made of the fact that former President Clinton--Stephanopoulos' ex-boss--fired all but one of the US Attorneys when he took office.  Did these ace journalists not know this?  Stephanopoulos has to know it.  But there was no mention.  And there is no mention of it in this article on the ABC News website.  It appears that the Democrats, and their lapdogs in the media, are counting on the ignorance of the American people.  Again.  But why shouldn't they?  It's worked before, hasn't it?

SLOWLY BUT SURELY

War is a marathon folks, not a sprint.  And we are making progress.

Locals helping troops find weapons

BAGHDAD — Iraqis in the country's north, fed up with ongoing violence, are leading U.S. and Iraqi forces to some of the largest weapons and bombs caches found in the region to date, the commander of Multi-National Division-North told Pentagon reporters Friday.

This comes as U.S. troops in that area are handing off most counterinsurgency missions to Iraqi forces.  This allows U.S. forces to focus on killing or capturing those who finance, make and emplace IEDs, said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, commander of MND-N and the 25th Infantry Division.

So far this year, his forces have nearly doubled the monthly averages for finding IED caches, Mixon told reporters in the Pentagon via a satellite link from Contingency Operating Base Speicher, outside of Tikrit. The forces also have doubled the monthly average for killing the insurgents who use them, he said.

"The enemy is ruthless in using IEDs," Mixon said. "We are equally as aggressive and violent in our approach to defeat them."

Mixon said a cache found last week in Diyala had enough material to make about 130 "explosively formed projectiles," as well as military-grade rockets and mortars, the largest find of that type so far. While EFPs make up only one percent of IEDs used against Coalition forces, they are among the most deadly.

The find was part of an Iraqi forces-led mission and was based on a tip by a local informant, Mixon said. No arrests were made, but officials are still working with the informant to identify insurgents involved.

Locals are more willing to lead Coalition forces to weapons and bombs caches partly because of the increased presence of Iraqi forces, Mixon said.

What's that expression, "Slow and steady wins the race?"  And then there's "Patience is a virtue."  And let's not forget "Quitters never win."