Back in the saddle

Just returned from an eight day week, traveling the Colorado Rockies, with a quick stopover in South Dakota. Beautiful country, great to drive at 12,000 feet and breathe the cold, thin air. Took the long, scenic route home via Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, the Badlands and the beautiful Niobrara valley.

Through brilliant timing, we managed to miss both the annual Sturgis biker fest and the televised Boston narcissism event. We caught a couple of news clips in the evenings, but were lucky enough to be riding horses instead of listening to horses... well, you know.

As we caught up on the interviews over the weekend, I was repeatedly struck by one thing: the Democrats really don't take this war at all seriously. It's just another thing to harp on, but not to act on. Take Kerry's "secret" plan to make us safer. C'mon. If he really had a plan that might make us safer, he surely would not keep it secret. He would hightail it to the White House and share his wisdom freely, in the interest of the security of the American people.

He would put America first, politics second. If his plan had any merit at all, we might well elect him president, just for acting presidential for a change. But no.

The fact that he so blithely insisted on keeping his hand to himself tells us he does not expect American voters to take him seriously either. He blows smoke and knows we know it. And still does not care. Isn't he just a little embarrassed? Aren't the Democrats just a bit embarrassed?

I think so, given the "unbounce" over the weekend. Note the Gallup poll, which is narrowly targeted to likely voters, as opposed to all registered voters. It shows a 1 point decline for Kerry and a 4 point bump for Bush. Moreover, all of Bush's recent strength has come from the previously-undecided "swing" voters. Scrappleface has Edwards suing the DNC over this.

Are the non-leftist Democrats even paying attention to their demise? Is there any hope at all for this once great political party, now hijacked by the heirs of the Weather Faction and the New Left?