January 20th. Inauguration Day. I remember that on this day last year, I was very upset and doing everything I could to ignore Bush's second inauguration. I had wanted so badly to see John Kerry sworn into office on that day. How different would things be in this country if that had happened? For that matter, how different would this country be had Al Gore rightfully been elected in 2000? Would Gore have been re-elected in '04? How would he have pursued the War on Terror? The Iraq War would have been non-existant under a Gore Administration but to what extent would the campaign against Al Qaeda be successful?

Yesterday, Osama Bin Laden released another one of his "Greatest Hits" videotapes. Another reminder that he is still at large, and although Al Qaeda has been weakened, the fact that he is still alive and broadcasting has to represent the single most catastrophic failure of the Bush Administration. I wish that Kerry pushed that point during the campaign last year. Sure, he touched on it, but it didn't really resonate. And now Kerry wants another opportunity in 2008. Sorry John, we got our hopes up for you in '04 and you let us down.

The upside is that Bush really only has a year and a half left. Sure, he technically has three years but once the summer of 2007 comes along, all attention will be on the new crop of presidential candidates and Bush will officially be a lameduck. In the meantime, be careful what you say on the phone... they're liable to be spying on you!!!