How the West is being won

ILLUSTRATED: Western Democrats, and what to learn from them.
Joe Klein's article from January 19, 2007 profiles Western Democrats. It is the region of the country where our party is surging. Look at what they say and how they say it.
Trivia: Never in the history of the Democratic Party has there ever been a Westerner (from the Mountain or Pacific time zone) on a Democratic ticket for either President or Vice President.

The War of our Generation

ILLUSTRATED: Why not give President Bush the money he wants, but tax every penny from the rich? Support our troops out of pocket, not on the national credit card.
I write this a few hours before the President's speech on Iraq. There is a lot of debate on Constitutional war prerogatives, weighed against the realities of military logisitics and the budget process. I was a procurement officer in the military, and I'm aware that not funding the troops that were there would break down equipment and training in theater, and would be compensated by an attempt to further cannibalize equipment that is stateside. We cannot do that to the troops. Also the ultimate redeployment of our troops might need a surge for force protection.
Congress should not use the power of the purse, it should use its power to tax. It's basic game theory: put your opponent in the position to be the last person to make a rational decision. Tell Bush he can get his funding, but that those making over $200,000 will be taxed. Otherwise everyone pays with higher interest rates, including the troops themselves!
For those who are afraid of being called names like "tax and spend liberal", we need to take the PR offensive. This generation got us into this war, and we must pay for it. "If this war is so important, we must pay now out of pocket, not on the national credit card."