I couldn't believe he actually did it

Mr. Derga shouldn't have been surprised. I can understand him saying that he was "pretty blown away" with the special call he received, though. It isn't every day that the White House calls people.

"It's been painful for this nation and me personally, but I still feel strongly about getting the job done over there and getting it done right," he said. "It meant a lot to us that we were able to make our position known, that we continue to support him."

But Mr. Derga said he is frustrated that many Americans do not think Iraq is part of the war on . "I really feel strongly that this nation needs to wake up and understand what's at risk here and what's in the balance," he said.

Mr. Derga, I share that concern. Let's hope that the American people get a clear understanding of what's at stake. In fact, let's hope they understand what's at stake quickly.

I just got done reading the transcript from Nick in Daytona's call into Rush's Friday show. I've gotta say that he's got it exactly right.

People, I'm betting that that spirit is running through lots of you. I'm betting that you're already volunteering in local Victory Offices to get your local slate of conservatives elected. I'm betting that you've already contributed to Republican candidates. I'm betting that you haven't seen any of the disgruntled or dispirited Republicans that the Agenda Media has talked endlessly about.

You know why I'm willing to make that bet? Because we know that policy matters. We know that there's a clear difference between Republicans and Democrats not named Lieberman on the issue of preventing attacks. We know that most Republicans believe in securing our borders. We know that that won't happen with Democrats controlling either house of Congress.

Another reason why I'm willing to make that bet is because we know that Democrats aren't to be taken seriously on the issue of defining the GWOT. How often have we heard the phrase "fight the real war on terror"? How often have we heard about shifting troops "into Afghanistan to capture bin Laden"? How often have we been told, incorectly, that Iraq wasn't part of the GWOT until we invaded?

That last one is particularly annoying, especially in light of President Bush's speech on Sept. 20, 2001, where President Bush said that al Qaida was found in 60 countries worldwide.

In light of that information, why should we give any credibility to Democrats who say that there weren't s in Iraq before we invaded? To believe Democrats' claims, we'd have to believe that he was an honorable man who wouldn't know a if he saw one.