It's time to spread some good holiday cheer and offer thanks to five precious, leading public figures who've really made a difference.
First, God bless Sen. John McCain for picking Sarah Palin to be his running mate in 2008. Her continued visibility testifies to his good sense in selecting her. It's good to see that Palin has even become a bookish individual, or at least an author, who managed to produce a best seller in her very first effort. It might not have initially seemed as though Palin had an IQ much above room temperature, but she's proven to be a canny and astute operator. The GOP establishment shouldn't be afraid of her. It should be quaking. Who knew that the crusty Senator had such a good eye for talent spotting?
Second, God bless another Senator--Senator Joseph Lieberman. Where would the Senate be without Lieberman? His mournful insistence on stopping health care--or at least insisting that there shouldn't be a public option--has nothing to do with the insurance companies in his home state of Connecticut. No, no. Americans should be thanking him for stopping the creation of a predatory government-based bureaucracy that can only harm the health of those who don't have any health insurance. It's better to be without than to have a government program that might well injure your health as well as the economy's. Sen. Lieberman, please, keep it up! As you seek to keep the national debt from ballooning, we're all indebted to you.
Third, I want to single out Afghan leader Hamid Karzai for praise. No one has done more to shore up the war effort than Karzai. Sure, he can seem a little ungrateful at times. But he's displayed true family values in running his country--his entire clan seems to be contributing to economic activity in Afghanistan in whatever way it can. As President Obama prepares to announce further troop deployments to Afghanistan, it's reassuring to know that American can count on such good and valorous and forthright allies in the fight against terrorism.
Fourth, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell deserves some kudos for his stalwart attempts to maintain a healthy, physical lifestyle among professional football players. No doubt a few lily-livered naysayers want to crimp the style of the game. But in denying, at least until recently, that concussions can have a deleterious effect on the health of football players, leading to dementia and even suicide, Goodell has displayed real courage and stuck up for American manhood against the namby-pamby pacifists. Good on you, Goodell!
Finally, I would like to thank former press secretary Dana Perino for clearing up a matter that had been troubling me as well as presumably most Americans. It seems there never was a terrorist attack, according to Perino, during "President Bush's term." Good to know. So 9/11 never happened? Apparently, it wasn't until Fort Hood that America suffered a terrorist attack.
For that reminder of all the Bush administration did to keep America safe, she deserves our gratitude. And inadvertently provides a useful reminder of why all of us should now be truly grateful that the president celebrating Thanksgiving this year is named Obama.