Today is the final countdown for “Mission Accomplished”.  Tomorrow, when President Elect Barack Obama is sworn in as our 44th President, George Bush’s mission accomplished act will be over.

Last week in the middle of a snow storm, my 136-pound Bernese Mountain Dog Hobbes and I were out for a walk. He, of course, bounded through the snow to greet every long lost neighbor.  Hobbes has always liked one particular guy, from whom I have kept my distance.  While he seemed nice enough, I was quite sure he was a strong Bush Republican given his job with Mr. Bush’s newest and favorite federal agency.

I guess Hobbes is a better judge of character.  While this guy was petting Hobbes, I neighborly asked, “How’s work?” expecting to get some type of Bush style patriotic response.  

“You must be sad that President Bush is stepping down,” I said.  

“No, way!” he retorted.  “Let me show you my little buddy, and you’ll see.”  [Nah, it’s not what you think.]

But, you are right, when a male neighbor I barely know offers to show me his “little buddy”, I might have had cause for concern.  However, a female neighbor friend had also just arrived to visit Hobbes and join our conversation.  There is safety in numbers.  So we stood on the sidewalk with Hobbes chatting amicably while waiting patiently to meet my neighbor’s “little buddy.”

I thought I would fall over laughing as this 60-year-old federal agency employee returned with a 12″ GI Joe-style Dubya Doll.  He said, “Here he is, Mr. Mission Accomplished himself.  Look his middle finger is even up for the time he gave the finger to the press corps.”

“He only cost me $19.95 on a close out sale, so I couldn’t resist,” my neighbor guy said.  He elaborated that for only $20, he has been able to look Mr. Mission Accomplished right in the eye and tell him that his time is limited and soon we’ll have a real president.  

How fitting, Mission Almost Accomplished.

Winter in Vermont, I never know who I’ll meet, but I can count on the fact that it will never be George W. Bush, since Vermont is the one state he refused to visit throughout his presidency.  🙂

 

I don't usually get to listen to the Mark Johnson Show, but I'm home today for the holiday so I'm listening to it online. Mark has great coverage of Vermont issues, so it's pretty much always worthwhile to catch his show, but today I'm writing about a spot I hear on the show.

It's the Vermont chapter of the American Cancer Society challenging the Douglas plan to cut funding and enrollment for Catamount Health. Leora Dowling, whose voice and story are heard on the radio spot, has also been on Vermont Public Radio, telling her story of needing cancer treatment, and yet running into insurance limits that left her over $20,000 in debt.

Most of us probably think of the Cancer Society, like the other disease organizations, as simply a charitable group. I think it's great that they're taking a stand to fight the cuts to Catamount and a stand for health care coverage for all Vermonters.

One footnote: every day one of Mark's features is a conversation with Ellen Ratner of the Talk News Service. It's not always Ratner, sometimes it's another of their correspondents (remember, I don't get to hear him every day). Still, I was pretty shocked this morning to hear that Mark's interlocutor was Bob Ney, former Congressman, Abramoff crony and convicted bribe taker. WTF?