President Bush addressed the Nation once again on the war on Iraq. (Yawn!) And the Democrats responded to it as expected. (Yawn!) According to Fox News the home front watched the speech with great anticipation and I have to admit I almost missed it. (Shame on me!) Anyway I thought : "So You Think You Can Dance" is long over but in case you missed yesterday's waltz, here it is.

The President's Speech: We are progressing in Iraq. The Surge is working. Therefore we are able to bring Troops home by Christmas and won't replace them with other troops. By the Summer we will have the same amount of Troops in Iraq as we had before the surge.

The Democratic Response: Senator Jack Reed said: Nothing has changed. Our troops are caught in a civil war. Let's bring them home now. (responsible) The president only wants more time and our troops are dying. Let's focus on al-Qaida and terrorism instead.

John Edwards: He took it up on himself to deliver his own speech on MSNBC. I am not sure why. Anyway he said the only way to make the president understand that the American people don't want this war is to cut off the funding of our troops until congress and the president work together to bring our troops home.

That was it. It's the same old, same old. Meanwhile our troops in Iraq are still fighting while our politician using the War on Iraq to insult each other or better themselves. I say to both parties please address the nation AFTER you come up with solutions otherwise its quite senseless.

Or as we say in English: "Enjoy your meal." Well for Republican candidate Mike Huckabee it means: "Quit Digging your Grave with a Knife and Fork." This is the title of the book he wrote after he recovered from a food addiction and lost 110 pounds. Huckabee spoke to southern governors on Saturday about his concerns about obesity in this country. According to him, an obesity epidemic could cause serious concerns for the American economy and for national security.

700 000 Americans will die in a year because of unhealthy habits which also include smoking. Huckabee went so far that he has compared it with disasters like hurricane Katrina and 9/11, since the fatality rate is as high. Each day 2,000 Americans die to do poor health choices. 90% of all diabetes cases are considered Type 2, which is linked to obesity or lack of physical activity. The health care costs of a person with diabetes is five times higher then health care cost of a person without it. For more on these numbers see this link. The military is also affected by obesity. The percentage of overweight possible recruits rose from 27 percent to 32 percent from 1996 to 2005. However in order to get more recruits the army allows people to enlist if they reduce to weight standards within a year in their age group. Officials in the military are concerned about this problem for quite some time.

Michael Moore blames the mainstream media for the "mess" (his words for the war on Iraq) we are in. You can see the video in this News Blog on AOL or below. During an appearance in CNN's "Situation Room,' he demanded an apology from Wolf Blitzer for "trashing" his movie, 'Fahrenheit 9/11.' He said we wouldn't be in this war if the media had done their job. Later on he told Blitzer not to worry about his new movie 'Sicko' but to apologize to the American people. It's just like the Oscars all over again. Moore went completely off topic and ranted about Iraq.

I have never heard a soldier say they want an apology for this war. Seriously! And I am around soldiers all day. I am stunned that an "apology" has become a political issue. Let's see, we have John Edwards apologizing over and over again for voting for the war. And he wants Hillary Clinton to do the same. Robin Swanson, a Democratic consultant, says that Clinton would be more accepted by the far left if she apologized for her vote on Iraq just like Edwards did.

On 'The Today Show,' Al Gore says he has fallen out of love with politics. I highly doubt it will stop the speculation. Some would just like to see him shake up the 2008 election. Despite his hesitation, the pleas for him to run will continue. A petition on Draftgore.com has 100,000 signatures!

I personally support Gore if his decision is to stay on the sidelines. Anyone is better off doing what he or she loves, and Gore seems to thrive in his cause for our environment. At this point I'd rather see him at the Oscars then in the White House. First of all, he seems so much happier. Second, it seems that people are actually responding to his passionate fight for environmental reforms. Finally, he places third behind Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in a CNN poll and I highly doubt he actually could win the nomination. And let's not forget, he has lost before.

I do find it interesting that he hasn't endorsed any Dem candidate.

During a patriotic fourth of July speech he tells members of the West Virginia National Guard he admires the valor of Americas fighting men and women but that now is no time to leave. He says:

"We must succeed for our own sake. For the security of our citizens we must support our troops. We must support the Iraqi government and we must defeat Al Qaeda in Iraq."

The Group West Virginia Patriots for Peace scheduled a protest against the "by invitation only event" The President was warmly welcomed by those invited and the crowds cheered as he defended the US-Invasion and his decision to deploy 28000 more troops back in January. Well I don't know about you but I cringe every time when I hear someone saying it takes more sacrifices, more courage and more patient from our soldiers. How much more do they have to give? How much more sacrifices does it take from spouses and children to be alone for their loved ones. How much more lives and limbs does it take? Sometimes those words just sound like a matter of fact but it is not just words. The fact is 3580 American soldiers people like you and me lost their lives. I don't think we are going to leave Iraq any time soon whether the next president is a democrat or a republican. I think our soldiers are just caught up in the middle of a political fight here. And candidate trying to get political support on the cost of our soldiers . Since we aren't leaving I was actually for the troop surge. More soldiers could make it more saver for the individual soldier. Sometimes I wonder if we were to withdraw now wouldn't we find ourselves in the same position 10-15 years from now. The only difference would be that our children would be the one fighting it. But on the other hand what does a victory mean. What is the definition of a victory in Iraq? When can we be for certain that our soldiers have won it. To me little evidence of weapons of mass destruction were found. Saddam Hussein was removed from power and a government was democratic elected. That is what I consider victory. And I for sure not would want to stand in front of soldiers and tell them that it requires more sacrifice from them. And what in the world does he mean by more courage? Aren't our soldiers brave enough to follow his direction? I never met braver and more determined people then American soldiers.

Starting Jan. 1, 2008, employers in Arizona could lose their business license if they hire Illegal Immigrants. That is due to a law the re-elected governor, Janet Napolitano, signed yesterday. Napolitano wrote a letter to lawmakers saying she signed this bill to remove incentives for Illegal to cross the state borders and also to remove the demand for undocumented and cheap labor.

Arizona businesses must use a basic pilot database, managed by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) to verify workers' eligibility. Of course, the attorney general and county prosecutor must have access to this database too in order to follow tips from people who know that businesses hire illegal immigrants.

Napolitano admits to some flaws in this new law. For example, it doesn't exempt nursing homes, hospitals and power plants from closing their business in case they hired Illegal Immigrant. She also says there is no anti-discrimination clause to ensure fair enforcement. Therefore this could lead to the closure of multiple locations of a single business for one single violation.

Senator Clinton is accompanied for the first time on the campaign trail by her husband Bill Clinton according to this Fox News article. The reason why they barely campaign together is the fear that the former president overshadows the New York Senator. Citics say that Bill Clinton has a hard time focusing on others instead of him. But Mrs. Clinton needs his support in Iowa since democratic candidate John Edwards is leading there. Campaign spokesman Wolfen insisted that the former president is doing a great job in talking about her in this campaign video.

The former president said he is backing his wife because she is the best person for the job and if he wasn't married to her he still would be there supporting her. He toned himself down quite a bit, yet still says the word "I", "me" and "myself" sixteen times. I personally don't think it is that obvious in that video. I think he did a fine job introducing his wife as possible president even though I am not a fan of Hillary. Meanwhile, the support for Hillary in Iowa is coming slowly but surely. For example, she has the support of Ruth Harkin, the wife of Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, who remains neutral. To my mind, it would be in Hillary's greatest interest if her husband would simply let her step out of his shadow.

We all remember the now famous interview between Chris Matthews and Ann Coulter, and the exchange between Coulter and Mrs. Edwards. But on that same program Coulter also stated that she would prefer Duncan Hunter over the three leading republican candidates Giuliani, Romney, and McCain. Not that I believe anyone would want her endorsement, but I decided to give Hunter a closer look.

Duncan Hunter is supported by the aviation legend Chuck Yeager, the first pilot who broke the sound barrier. Congressman Hunter is extremely conservative. At one point he called Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and John McCain the Kennedy Wing of the GOP. That is obviously something he is very proud of saying. Otherwise he would have not posted it on his website. Hunter is against abortion and against using embryos for scientific research. He also supports the "Establishment and free exercise clauses of the first amendment." He is for the right to bare arms and not just because he likes hunting. He believes that citizens should have the right to protect themselves. He is for the definition that marriage is a union between one man and one women. He says he always has voted against legislation that would allow federal government to assist local authorities in prosecution of so-called hate crimes. To congressman Hunter a crime is a crime regardless if the it was motivated by a persons race, color, sexual orientation or religion. He supports strict punishment of all crimes to the full extend of the law.

His highest priorities in this presidential campaign are border enforcement, the war on terror and, interestingly enough, fair trade. Hunter did not agree with the Comprehensive Immigration Reform which has failed last week. He promises if he was elected President he would build the fence on our southern border (854 miles) within six months. He says his triple fence in San Diego County reduced Illegal Immigration by 90% and crime by 54%. He claims that border enforcement is also a national security issue since people from all countries are crossing our southern border. His plan for Iraq is to train all 129 Iraqi battalions by deploying them to the hot zones in Iraq so our troops can leave. A stable friend, he says in that region is in Americas best interests. He proposes to bring other countries back to the table for fair trade. He believes that the American Manufacturer is actually taxed twice. He also believes that China cheats by devaluing their currency by 40%. He would negotiate fair trade deals with other countries. He also wants to eliminate all taxes for companies who stay in the United States and this way jobs would stay in this country and it would give manufactures opportunities to expand for a strong industry.

Well after I took a closer look at Duncan Hunter I would say he is a bit too conservative for my moderate taste. However, I think he brings some interesting points for discussion to the table. Even so, he doesn't stand a chance to get the republican nomination. He may be running for vice-president.

You may remember this blog from April 2007. I wrote about two border patrol agents, Ramos and Copean, who are currently serving eleven years in federal prison for shooting at a drug smuggler who crossed our borders illegally. At that time I thought that this story was out of the norm but it turns out that US Attorney Johnny Sutton prosecuted more then two border patrol agents for "violating illegals civil rights" by doing their job. Just the other day a former border patrol agents advised on Lou Dobbs those who are willing to serve their country should become a fireman instead of a border patrol agents.

And I can understand why he said it. It seems like Johnny Sutton is more then willing to grant illegals and drug smugglers amnesty and immunity if he can put border patrol agents behind bars instead. We have Agent Gary Brugman who spent two years in federal prison for cruel treatment of an illegal immigrant. He pushed two Illegals to the ground in order to protect his fellow agents. Then we have agent Noe Aleman who is starting a prison term for making errors on adoption papers. He wanted to adopt his three nieces who are from Mexico and who lost their father. Agent Aleman wanted to get the error straightened out and reported it himself. That is when he found himself arrested. Agent David Sipe was convicted in 2001 for striking an Illegal Alien on the head after he resisted arrest. Fortunately he was able to prove that the prosecution withheld crucial evidence from the jury and he was reinstated. And Deputy Sheriff Hernandez was arrested for shooting in the tires of a car which carried illegal aliens. One of the bullet shattered a woman's teeth. Hernandez defense attorney argued that Hernandez indeed thought his life was in danger. Hernandez walked up the car and the car peeled away.

Regardless according to this promo our border patrol agent are highly trained and motivated. Brugman even stated that he did exactly what he was taught to do in case Illegals resisting arrest. At this time he is fighting to get Roman and Copean out of prison. Personally I think the strategy of Johnny Sudden is disheartening. Illegals are granted immunity and amnesty and border patrol agents are send behind bars in exchange. In the end I would be afraid to serve as a border patrol agent in Texas. It just seems like when in doubt Johnny Sudden takes the word of a drug smuggler over the word of a hard working border patrol agent.

That is what Sen. Joe Biden called it yesterday in CNN's "Situation Room" anchored by Wolf Blitzer. The Democratic presidential candidate said he thanked Sen. Richard Lugar in a phone call for his departure from the president's Iraq policy. He also told Lugar he would be part of an bipartisan effort to get the U.S. out of "this mess" (his words) if President Bush wanted to do that.

What I find most striking about Biden's interview was that he did not back away from his earlier statement that he would NOT cut off funding for our soldiers in favor of a timeline. I appreciate that Biden, even as a Democrat, wants to keep our soldiers safe and that awakened my interest in him a couple weeks ago.

The Biden-Gelb plan for Iraq sure sounds good. However upon further research of Biden's plan on Iraq on his Web site I have to say it would be very hard to follow through with this plan. After all Biden is not running for president of Iraq. (insert sarcasm) On the one hand, he calls for us to get out of the Iraqi civil war. On the other hand he presents his Iraq plan as if he would be in charge of Iraq if he were elected U.S. president. I think it ought to be up to the Iraqi government on how to establish a secure Iraq, not to our government.

I do want to wait for the results of the troop surge -- which will supposedly be announced in September. But I do have to say that l found it refreshing that Biden has the safety for our troops in mind even so he is calling for a withdraw of troops. It shows after all that you can be indeed for our troops even so you are against the war in Iraq.

Fourteen thousand people will be participating in a two -year pilot program in New York initiated by Mayor Bloomberg. Poor residents will be receiving cash rewards for "good behavior " like for example attending a parent-teacher conference or holding a job. Forty three million dollars has been raised towards this program. This program is called Conditionally Cash Transfer and has been proven to be successful in countries like Mexico. Under normal circumstances the CCT should be a third of the monthly income of the recipients.

Every new idea brings some opposition. A teacher in this article opposes CCT. He suggests that a program like this would instill in our children that they don't have to study if they are not going to get paid for it. Margy Waller from the inclusionist is also against this program. Her focus is more on the community then the individual and according to her poverty is not the individuals fault. She calls on changing our frame of mind about poverty. She says:

It just reinforces the impression that if everybody would just work hard enough and change their personal behavior we could solve poverty in this country, and that's not reflected in the facts.

She also thinks the answers are in enforcing work laws, higher wages and paid sick leave.

I give Bloomberg kudos for trying something new and controversial in this country against poverty and I hope it works out for our poorer citizens. Hopefully the results will be positive and more programs can be established throughout the U.S.

The Immigration Reform Bill is barely hanging on and Americans from all parties are very angry about this. However the fact is that 12 million people live and work illegally in the United States and many more will attempt to cross our southern borders. If that bill passes ( I highly doubt it will) the government would give 12 million people permission to stay here legally and it would give them also incentives to leave. Supporters of the bill hope this bill would allow to get those people documented and fingerprinted so they would know and they could separate the real criminals from those who only wishing to work here in the states. Many compare this bill with the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act which clearly didn't improve the problem of Illegal Immigration in this country.

However this new Immigration Reform Bill is not just about giving " amnesty" to illegal immigrants. There is much more to it.

I am honored to serve with such amazing men in this place and at this time. I learn more and more from them everyday. In so many ways, these are both the worst and the greatest times of our lives. It sounds contradictory, but it isn't. The worst of times brings out the best in men and women of character. I have seen, with my own eyes, amazing acts of courage -- I no longer have to hear only about them secondhand. There are moments that have been permanently etched in my mind -- terrible moments that were made great moments by the soldiers I am so grateful to serve with

Captain Josh Byers wrote this words in his last letter to his wife. On July 23, 2003 Captain Josh Byers died in a convoy by a remote controlled homemade bomb on his way to Baghdad. While I never met him personally I heard about him prior to his death as he was with the same unit my husband went to Iraq with. I think I celebrated my first real Memorial Day at his memorial service in Fort Carson, Colorado. We didn't mourn his death. It was a celebration of his life. It also reminded me that Captain Josh Byers gave the ultimate sacrifice willingly for our freedom and for his fellow soldiers. And since Captain Josh Byers saw the bravery of his soldiers with his own eyes and honored them I honor him by honoring every soldier who gave the ultimate price.

Have a good and safe Memorial Day.

Or maybe I was just too early. Eleven years ago I stood in a huge line in front of the American embassy in Frankfurt, Germany to apply for legal residence in the United States.

After paperwork, a fee, a required doctor's appointment and an interview with an ambassador I finally received temporary permission to work and live in the United States. Two years later I had to reapply for permanent residency which required me to document that my marriage to an U.S. soldier is legal and real.

In a couple years I have to reapply again.

Last year an acquaintance (another soldier) was waiting impatiently for his wife to move from Britain to the States. At this time their baby was four months old. He only knew his child from pictures and a short visit back to Britain. At times it was hard for me to see him so desperate, waiting for the paperwork to move faster through the system so he could be reunited with his wife here at home.

Maybe we all should've come here illegally, if it's going to be that easy to become legal.

One might say we need the guest workers but I agree with Mitt Romney: If you are going to grant illegal immigrants residency then I say get in line and apply like the rest of us. I don't think this new plan eliminates illegal immigration. I think it is a punch in the face tho those who are immigrating legally to this great country.

We have many names and slogan attached to the 2008 presidential candidates. But I find it interesting how Mitt Romney especially sees himself. Yesterday we found out that he is a "Strong Conservative Leader" -- according to himself. This is striking because many would describe Romney as a "Flip Flopper" on issues like gun control, gay rights and abortion. I personally see those issues as the keys to getting people to go to the polls in this upcoming election.

Next the Romney campaign declared their guy as the "Winner" of yesterday's debate. And he also wants to become the "Record Holder": His campaign wants to sign up 24,000 more people to "Team Mitt" within the next24 hours.

And why not, he must wonder. According to his presidential ad below he is the "Problem Solver," a "Business Legend," the "Savior of the Olympic Games," the "Changer of a Democratic State" and the "Republican Governor of Massachusetts."

But heck in order to become "The President of the United States" one must be the "Creator of Solutions" and not the "Record Holder of Complaints" like it is presented in this ad because nothing in this ad suggests to me that Romney has solutions to the problems he has listed. We know the problems. We want to know the solutions "Mr. Romney".