Cleaning up Rotten Tomatoes

Oh my god. I didn't post sooner because everytime I tried something even more joyous would occur! I am absolutely GLEEFUL at the turn of events in the past 24 hours. Holy crap.

If it wasn't enough that we took the House and the Senate, then Rumsfeld resigns! It's like the Fourth of July and Christmas! The only thing keeping me from dancing in the streets is that it's still friggin' raining. (seriously, will it ever end?) (Updated:Yes. Now it's hailing.)

Ok, now for a little analysis. Rumsfeld was an idiot, everyone knows that. Remember his "unknown unknowns" remark and the "north south east or west of tikrit" quotes? Hooo boy, he was a fun one. Too bad people were dying in the process. Well, this guy they got to replace him, Robert Gates, is no angel either. He was pretty high up the chain of command at the CIA during the Iran-Contra scandal, so more than likely knew about some of the illegal shit going on. Yeah, THAT's someone who needs to remain in government.

My first thought on this was the obvious: Rumsfeld is a scapegoat, sent away to appease the Democrats and public alike. The administration could say, "See? We're playing fair. We'll compromise! BIPARTISIANSHIP! *SQUAWK!*" But things in Iraq would just keep on keepin' on.

A small ray of hope entered my (admittedly over-excited mind) when I learned that this Gates guy is also part of the Baker Commission - y'know, those conservative thinkers that were supposed to come up with a solution for Iraq and that solution turned out to be.... well, to leave, or some such cleverly worded withdrawal. "Maybe, just maybe we're gonna see some redeployments coming," I thought to myself.

Then I saw this video. It's Bush talking, so if his presence on camera makes you wanna stick your fingers in your ears, just skip to the important part written below.

In answering a reporter's question as why the Rumsfeld resignation waited until after the elections, when just last week Bush said Rumsfeld was staying, Bush replies, "...the reason why is I didn't want to inject a major decision about this war in the final days of a campaign."

Whoa. They've never officially said anything about changing the course in Iraq. Now, I think we're going to see something dramatic. Rumsfeld's ousting wasn't just for show.

Could it be? Are our friends and family members in Iraq finally coming home?

Oh yes, and the title of the post occurred to me while trying to rescue the pile of tomatoes in the basement so they can be cleaned and frozen before they turn into a hairy, mold monster. As I squeamishly picked out the obviously beyond help toms ("Ewwww! I have to touch them with my fingers! And they're squishy! Ewww!"), I realized that it was a decent metaphor for the Dems cleaning up pile of unsavory problems.