As I was catching up on the newspapers this weekend, I had my first smile in a long time. After years of watching the Bush administration ruin our country, I got my first glimmer that positive changes are happening and more might be possible.

the final days of Bush

Before the smiles though, there are a few frowns. News of Bush's actions in his final days continues to roll out. In the past week he is slipping in more changes to let companies ruin the environment for their own profits and it came out that his administration halted investigations on environmental crimes like the BP oil spill in Alaska.

Historians will take years to tabulate all the damage Bush has done to our nation and our planet. Its too bad half the country continues to pretend that they didnt cause this by voting for him - twice.

climate change going mainstream

The economy is bad but the biggest problem facing humanity is climate change. Bush actively courted those that want to disbelieve. Global warming is a myth. Global warming is natural. Global warming will create beach resorts in Canada...

Well I hear that the Today Show is now showing the very visible signs of global warming around the world. No snow on Mt Kilimanjaro? A massive drought in Australia that is wiping out livestock? It isnt just about polar bears or penguins. I fully expect global climate change to kill billions of people within 20 years but if it is on the Today Show, that means the topic is going mainstream. Which means we might actually do something if we get leadership.

come back when you are serious, Detroit

The other bright spot is watching the auto industry get rebuffed. It is hard to watch banks, who created the current financial crisis, get bailed out with tax payer dollars but I definitely didn't want to see Detroit do the same. For decades American car companies have resisted change, continued to build gas-guzzlers that damage the environment and even fight any efforts to mandate better fuel efficiency or cleaner air. And the Democrats have supported them time and again because Democrat = labor unions.

Last week, Congress did not approve a bailout for the Big 3. Instead they complained that CEO's flew there in a private jet, acting like they were too big to fail and deserved a handout. Congress actually demanded that Detroit eat a little crow and come back with a real plan for change. I dont expect Detroit to change but I was shocked to see Congress have some semblance of a spine.

Even better, Rep John Dingell got fired. The auto industry and Ron Dingell have been instrumental in keeping our country from facing global warming. Hybrid cars and cleaner air may be good for the planet but they are bad for profits so these two have fought them.

In the same week, the CEO's got rejected and Dingell was replaced by Rep Henry Waxman - an unprecedented move in Congress. This is no guarantee of anything but it is a very visible sign that the Democrats are making changes. Maybe the next 4 years wont get bogged down in the same-old-same-old Democratic nonsense.

less Byrd

Update #1

I almost forgot that Mr Earmark himself, Sen Byrd, also left his comfy roost in the Senate. The 90-year old stepped down to be replaced by 84-year old Sen Inouye from Hawaii. Unlike Ted Steven, who finally left after losing an election and being convicted for being an old, greedy dumbass, Byrd's move was "voluntary" and perhaps a sign that Democrats are cleaning their own house a bit.

So it is encouraging to see the "youth" movement making changes and replacing people who were born during the great depression with folks born after.

the Obama Hangover

On a less practical but more personal note, I also got a smile from watching Obama do 180's on his campaign rhetoric.

Hillary Clinton was the one who argued that it takes experience to accomplish change in government. The Clintons learned in 1992 that ideas and youth were not enough but a new generation didnt want to hear that. The progressive movement that backed Obama wanted nothing to do with the Clinton's and Hillary lost the primary.

First Obama nominated Biden as a running mate - hardly a symbol of youth or change. And now he has appointed a cadre of Clinton administration folks AND Hillary Clinton to his cabinet. Ouch.

I dont think I ever wrote about it but several months ago I predicted an Obama Hangover. The Hangover will come when he fails to be the candidate he promised to be in the primaries. Just like Bill Clinton did.

The reality of ruling is much harder than making campaign promises. More importantly you can tell everyone what they want to hear but in the end, you can only deliver one path. Someone is going to be disappointed.

Which is all fine with me as long as I am not the one disappointed and I am most encouraged to see Obama appoint experienced people. His cabinet appears to be an all-star team of folks and that is just what we need after 8 years of complete incompetence. I will enjoy hearing the progressives complain about a bait & switch but I am also more hopeful than ever that good things may happen at a time when we really need a few good things to happen.

justice (not just convictions) served

update #2

I forgot about another sign of goodness that made me smile. The WSJ had a cover story about Craig Watkins, the DA in Dallas, TX.

It seems Mr Watkins had few political ties yet still won his office in 2006, after the Latino community discovered that the Dallas police had planted drug evidence on dozens of Mexican immigrants. Oops. It seems that police corruption is alive and well and not just found in movies about the past.

Not only was Watkins not hand-picked by the establishment, he went on to use DNA evidence to re-examine 400 previous convictions. Guess what happened? They started to find men in prison for crimes they did not do, including a guy on death row for 27 years. 27 years!

I have long been a supporter of the Innocence Project, so I was thrilled to see a DA work with them to make certain that the people we throw in jail are actually guilty. The death penalty is murder not justice if it is applied on an innocent man.

Similarly, I was shocked and pleased to hear that 400 detainees in Guantanamo, the biggest single blemish on the American justice system, have been freed. Pleased that they were freed but shocked that there were so many people there in the first place. Now that everyone who matters agrees that we need to close the prison, the discussion to can move on to what we do to/for those people that were imprisoned (and possibly tortured) unjustly.