We're thankful for Howard Dean ~ who bucked the DLC and proved his 50 state strategy for winning the mid term elections would work.

We're thankful for Al Gore for introducing us to his Inconvenient Truth and, in so doing, became the most credible potential Democratic Presidential candidate in 2008.

We're thankful for Russ Feingold for putting principles ahead of politics and, in so doing, became the most credible Vice President candidate in 2008 ~ you heard it here first ~ Gore/Feingold in 2008.

We're thankful for Rep. Jack Murtha for showing us it's patriotic to speak your mind and disagree with this administration.

We're thankful that Sen. Bill Frist is not our physician.

We're thankful for Nancy Pelosi for proving she deserves to be third in the presidential line as Speaker of the House ~ particularly if Bush and Cheney are rightfully indicted for war crimes or impeached for abuse of power.

We're thankful for 90 Senators who stood up to Vice President Cheney to say that torture is not an American value.

We're thankful we are not Tony Snow ~ who must defend the daily hypocrisy of this administration at the risk of his health, mental and moral well being.

We're thankful for 79 Senators who demanded the Bush administration detail a plan for Iraq.

We're thankful Rick Santorum will have more free time to find the WMD.

We're thankful to Lt Ehren Watada ~ for having the courage to take a stand against the legality of the Iraq war.

We're thankful Judy Miller won't be reporting on Iran's WMD program for the New York Times.

We're thankful Keith Olbermann's ratings are up and Bill O'Reilly's ratings are down.

We're thankful that Donald Rumsfeld has finally been sent out to pasture, hopefully to be soon joined by his two chickenhawk partners ~ George (cowboy) Bush and Dick (Darth Vader) Cheney.

We're thankful minimum wage ballot initiatives passed in six states.

We're thankful for the Internet ~ for the ability to communicate ideas and the truth instantly to people throughout the world.

We're thankful for the success of progressive talk radio.

We're thankful for Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and others who can bring humor to our trying times.

We're thankful the Dixie Chicks aren't ready to make nice.

We're thankful for good friends ~ particularly the ones who are honest with us and love us anyway.

Allen L Roland http://blogs.salon.com/0002255/2006/11/22.html