The first thing that came to my mind was, so what? Isn't the end result the same? The same number of people died, were injured, and the same damage was done to a city and its infrastructure. Who cares if it was terrorist-related? If a power surge overwhelms our electrical grid and plunges the entire country into darkness and chaos, is it any less a national tragedy if it's due to our failure to invest in critical infrastructure than if it's the result of a well-placed Al Qaeda bomb?

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Not only is this misguided administration creating more terrorists by way of their imperial foreign policy, but they also continue to waste our tax dollars that are desperately needed here at home. We have deteriorating infrastructure that is putting us all in danger, and the threat it poses far exceeds that of a possible terrorist attack. We have antiquated water and sewer systems. There are roads, bridges, dams and levees all across this country in need of serious attention and we have an electrical grid that needs critical updating not to mention a whole host of other problems. We ignore them at our own peril, while fixing them would be good for the flailing (for most of us anyway) economy and would even grow the shrinking middle class.

What we need in this country is a massive public works program that will put Americans to work at decent jobs for family wage pay, while simultaneously investing in our critical national infrastructure. This would allow us to make use of new technologies (hell, even create new and innovative industries), make better use of our natural resources, and provide better security, both personal and national. Too bad we elected a guy that can't think his way out of a wet paper bag, let alone navigate the maze of problems we face as a nation.

To all of the Americans that voted for this man, all I have to say is I hope that imaginary beer with Bush was worth all the trouble we're in now.

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I heard the news that Karl Rove will be resigning, but rather than being happy about the Roving Pig's departure, all I could think was, "how is it possible that this slimeball will walk out of the White House on his own terms rather than being led out in handcuffs?" The scum really does rise to the top. For all of the damage Rove has wrought on the political process, the good news is that his dirty style of politics has, in the end, hurt his team more than the others. The Republicans are left with a bad brand that no one wants to touch. They're like Depends undergarments: They may be useful, but you sure as hell don't want anyone to see you with them, and they're a last resort after everything else has failed.

Although there is lingering resentment for the way this White House has corrupted Washington, our government and the political process, Rove's departure is a reminder that the end is near. If there was anything possible left to accomplish, Rove would surely stay. But this lame-duck president is bankrupt of political capital. His own party despises him for what he's done to their future prospects. And his time left in office is dwindling. I've given up on the hope that he will be impeached (although not impeaching him is a huge mistake for the long-term stability of our current form of government), but I'm finally able to imagine a time beyond Bush.