Diane,
Today my sister Jenna graduates from her Master's program in Occupational Therapy; She's set to get an award called "Future Leader in Occupational Therapy" and I couldn't be prouder.
All her life Jenna has had this incredible work ethic that has lifted her to where she is now. She's always had the ability to prioritize and keep focused on what she's wanting to accomplish for herself. It's something that I'm trying to do in law school right now. My version of "WWJD?" is "What would Jenna Do?". Whether I'm succeeding right now is up for debate.
There's no questioning that it is outstanding what Jenna has been able to accomplish and how the amazing things that are ahead of her. I can't wait to see what she's able to do in her professional career knowing what she was like as a student. It used to drive me nuts when I was little, watching Jenna get so nervous and uptight about every grade. I was always much more laid back and willing to accept mediocre grades, but Jenna worked for absolutely every mark she ever got. I'm not saying that she wasn't smart, because my sister is probably the most brilliant person I know, but she's always worked as close to her potential as anyone. She's been graced with God given talents that she refuses to waste by taking thing easy. It's exhausting to watch sometimes as someone who loves her and wishes she wouldn't walk the thin line between driven and nervous breakdown so often, but it's easy to root for and it feels so good when she succeeds, which is almost every time.
I'm missing her graduation today because I'm 1,100 miles away at school. You have no idea how much I wish I was there cheering her on, because it's the very least she deserves. She's always made me proud to be her brother and it's days like today that I wish I could be there to support her and show her how much she means to me and how great it is to have someone like her in my life.
Jenna Lee Catherine Faurschou, today is your day. You've lead the OT program over the past 2 years, and just like that award says, you'll lead the entire profession soon. I love you, I'm proud of you and I can't wait to see you at Christmas.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Law? Yeah, I got game.
Dear Diane,
I just got out of my contracts midterm. It wasn't for a grade, but I'm excited. This is the first point where I've felt comfortable with my ability to apply what we have learned in class and I couldn't be happier. My catchphrase over the past few weeks has been "I just don't know what I know, y'know?" because I've felt like I've been learning, but I didn't have anything to hang that on. After writing this today, I feel like I'm turning a bit of a corner; like I know more than I think I do and I'll be alright in this legal rat race.
But with that I turn my attention away from my computer and back to the books in the Study Dome(my study carrol). Lots of work to do...always working for the weekend.
I just got out of my contracts midterm. It wasn't for a grade, but I'm excited. This is the first point where I've felt comfortable with my ability to apply what we have learned in class and I couldn't be happier. My catchphrase over the past few weeks has been "I just don't know what I know, y'know?" because I've felt like I've been learning, but I didn't have anything to hang that on. After writing this today, I feel like I'm turning a bit of a corner; like I know more than I think I do and I'll be alright in this legal rat race.
But with that I turn my attention away from my computer and back to the books in the Study Dome(my study carrol). Lots of work to do...always working for the weekend.
Monday, October 20, 2008
A plea for help...
Diane,
I need your help. A friend is missing and there's practically nothing I can do from Tulsa. Amber McFarland went missing on Friday night and her family and friends haven't heard anything from her since then. Her car was in the parking lot of the CanadInns Portage la Prairie and hasn't been touched since Friday. If you or anyone you know has any information on her whereabouts, I'm asking you to call the Portage RCMP at (204)857-4445.
If you could also say a prayer for her to turn up safely, it would be greatly apreciated.
I need your help. A friend is missing and there's practically nothing I can do from Tulsa. Amber McFarland went missing on Friday night and her family and friends haven't heard anything from her since then. Her car was in the parking lot of the CanadInns Portage la Prairie and hasn't been touched since Friday. If you or anyone you know has any information on her whereabouts, I'm asking you to call the Portage RCMP at (204)857-4445.
If you could also say a prayer for her to turn up safely, it would be greatly apreciated.
One More Football Post
Dear Diane,
I just read about our PCI Trojans going undefeated in Winnipeg High School Football regular season play. Very happy.
But I also wanted to give a shout out to my cousin Devin Faurschou. He tied the WHSF record for Field Goals in a season with 11. I just thought he deserved some credit for the accomplishment from someone who knows how to spell his name(Stupid Daily Graphic). Great Job cuz(and clean out your voicemail!!!).
I just read about our PCI Trojans going undefeated in Winnipeg High School Football regular season play. Very happy.
But I also wanted to give a shout out to my cousin Devin Faurschou. He tied the WHSF record for Field Goals in a season with 11. I just thought he deserved some credit for the accomplishment from someone who knows how to spell his name(Stupid Daily Graphic). Great Job cuz(and clean out your voicemail!!!).
Sunday, October 19, 2008
A football post!
Dear Diane,
Last night I went to the University of Tulsa football game against the University of Texas- El Paso(UTEP). What I saw was one of the greatest displays of offense I have seen in my life. The Golden Hurricane won the game 77-35 over a completely overmatched UTEP squad. The funny thing was how the game broke down.
1st Quarter: David Johnson(Possible Heisman candidate and the NCAA leader in QB%) answers a long UTEP opening TD drive with a 98 yard TD to Brennan Marion(who ended the game with 6 catches for 233 yards and a C-USA record for yards per catch at 38.8) that he caught at the UTEP 38. The ball seemed to hang in the air forever! The quarter went back and forth and ended on a kickoff return for a TD by TU on the last play of the Q to tie the game at 28.
At this point I'm thinking that our Defense is terrible and UTEP is going to hang around all game. At the end of the first quarter though the D stepped up and started playing. From there on the Hurricane outscored UTEP 49-7 and looked dominant in every facet of the game. At the end of the 3rd, the score was 70-35 and it took us turning it over to the 2nd team and running on 7/8ths of our plays from scrimmage to slow down the torrid scoring pace.
When the game was over, the Golden Hurricane had put up 77 points and 791 yards of total offense. We scored touchdowns on 11 of 14 possessions; a tipped pass for an interception ending one first half drive, and the other two ended because time expired at the end of the halfs(the game ended with a kneel down on the UTEP 20 as the crowd begged for a FG to make it 80).
The most unbelieveable part of the whole game? We lost the turnover battle! We did not force UTEP to give up the ball once. NOT ONCE. Our D stepped up and played well late in the game, but we should be better.
This morning I woke up to the news that the University of Tulsa had a ranked football team for the first time since 1991. We were just on the outside last week, but with this lopsided win and a few losses by ranked squads, we pushed our way in; 22 in the AP Poll and 19 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. There are only 9 teams in the country that are undefeated at this point and TU is one of them. It's insane.
But now for the bad news. Tulsa plays in Conference USA, which is a mid-major conference, and not one that gets much respect from the people who vote on the rankings and create the bowl matchups. The BCS(Bowl Championship Series) consists of 5 games- The BCS Championship, Rose, Sugar, Fiesta, and Orange Bowls- and those are the pinnacle games that every team strives to get to. Unfourtunately, with the strength of schedule problems that TU has(AKA playing crappy competition), there is little to no shot of TU getting to those games, even if we go undefeated. The only hope is if the other Non-BCS Conference teams that are undefeated at this point(Utah, Boise State, Ball State) all lose and Tulsa then has the strongest case for the one spot that is held open for a champion from a mid-major. It's a long shot, but it could happen. If not, I'm guessing you'll see us in the Liberty Bowl, which sees the winning school take home 1.7 million for academic and athletic use. That would be sweet.
Anyway Diane, the whole reason I write this is because I needed to get it out of my system. I was thinking about it all morning and it's time to focus on school. The game is over and the week is about to begin; Time to get prepared.
I hope all is well in your world.
Last night I went to the University of Tulsa football game against the University of Texas- El Paso(UTEP). What I saw was one of the greatest displays of offense I have seen in my life. The Golden Hurricane won the game 77-35 over a completely overmatched UTEP squad. The funny thing was how the game broke down.
1st Quarter: David Johnson(Possible Heisman candidate and the NCAA leader in QB%) answers a long UTEP opening TD drive with a 98 yard TD to Brennan Marion(who ended the game with 6 catches for 233 yards and a C-USA record for yards per catch at 38.8) that he caught at the UTEP 38. The ball seemed to hang in the air forever! The quarter went back and forth and ended on a kickoff return for a TD by TU on the last play of the Q to tie the game at 28.
At this point I'm thinking that our Defense is terrible and UTEP is going to hang around all game. At the end of the first quarter though the D stepped up and started playing. From there on the Hurricane outscored UTEP 49-7 and looked dominant in every facet of the game. At the end of the 3rd, the score was 70-35 and it took us turning it over to the 2nd team and running on 7/8ths of our plays from scrimmage to slow down the torrid scoring pace.
When the game was over, the Golden Hurricane had put up 77 points and 791 yards of total offense. We scored touchdowns on 11 of 14 possessions; a tipped pass for an interception ending one first half drive, and the other two ended because time expired at the end of the halfs(the game ended with a kneel down on the UTEP 20 as the crowd begged for a FG to make it 80).
The most unbelieveable part of the whole game? We lost the turnover battle! We did not force UTEP to give up the ball once. NOT ONCE. Our D stepped up and played well late in the game, but we should be better.
This morning I woke up to the news that the University of Tulsa had a ranked football team for the first time since 1991. We were just on the outside last week, but with this lopsided win and a few losses by ranked squads, we pushed our way in; 22 in the AP Poll and 19 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. There are only 9 teams in the country that are undefeated at this point and TU is one of them. It's insane.
But now for the bad news. Tulsa plays in Conference USA, which is a mid-major conference, and not one that gets much respect from the people who vote on the rankings and create the bowl matchups. The BCS(Bowl Championship Series) consists of 5 games- The BCS Championship, Rose, Sugar, Fiesta, and Orange Bowls- and those are the pinnacle games that every team strives to get to. Unfourtunately, with the strength of schedule problems that TU has(AKA playing crappy competition), there is little to no shot of TU getting to those games, even if we go undefeated. The only hope is if the other Non-BCS Conference teams that are undefeated at this point(Utah, Boise State, Ball State) all lose and Tulsa then has the strongest case for the one spot that is held open for a champion from a mid-major. It's a long shot, but it could happen. If not, I'm guessing you'll see us in the Liberty Bowl, which sees the winning school take home 1.7 million for academic and athletic use. That would be sweet.
Anyway Diane, the whole reason I write this is because I needed to get it out of my system. I was thinking about it all morning and it's time to focus on school. The game is over and the week is about to begin; Time to get prepared.
I hope all is well in your world.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Down the rabbit hole
Dear Diane,
Since I got here, I've started to try things that we don't have in Canada. Today it was the devil's pastry: The hot pocket.
I'm sure you've heard the Jim Gaffigan standup about them, and it's spot on. The Hot Pocket has a flaky crust that gets soggy in the microwave. It has a cardboard sleeve that doesn't seem to do anything. The taste is...meh. I have 3 more left in the freezer, so maybe they'll grow on me, but as of right now, they won't be on my next shopping list.
But it's been 10 minutes since I ate it, so I'm taking the fact that I have yet to go blind as a good sign. I'll let you know if I last though the night.
Update: I woke up this morning! I didn't break out into a cold sweat, there's no hair on the palms of my hands and I'm not craving human flesh. I think I'm going to be okay.
Since I got here, I've started to try things that we don't have in Canada. Today it was the devil's pastry: The hot pocket.
I'm sure you've heard the Jim Gaffigan standup about them, and it's spot on. The Hot Pocket has a flaky crust that gets soggy in the microwave. It has a cardboard sleeve that doesn't seem to do anything. The taste is...meh. I have 3 more left in the freezer, so maybe they'll grow on me, but as of right now, they won't be on my next shopping list.
But it's been 10 minutes since I ate it, so I'm taking the fact that I have yet to go blind as a good sign. I'll let you know if I last though the night.
Update: I woke up this morning! I didn't break out into a cold sweat, there's no hair on the palms of my hands and I'm not craving human flesh. I think I'm going to be okay.
Tough Day
Diane,
It's a tough day for me, as well as alot of people I know. A year ago today, one of my best friends, Garreth McDonald, was killed in a car accident. He was a great friend and a good man, someone who was taken far too soon. He was a guy who did everything he could in the short 22 years of his life. He ran for election...twice; He established himself as one of the smartest young political minds in the province and; he played as hard as he worked. I don't know if I ever met anyone who was able to work a 14 hour day and still be up to go out and do something at night, only to get up and repeat it all the next day. Garreth was an incredible person.
I'll miss you buddy. Rest in Peace.
It's a tough day for me, as well as alot of people I know. A year ago today, one of my best friends, Garreth McDonald, was killed in a car accident. He was a great friend and a good man, someone who was taken far too soon. He was a guy who did everything he could in the short 22 years of his life. He ran for election...twice; He established himself as one of the smartest young political minds in the province and; he played as hard as he worked. I don't know if I ever met anyone who was able to work a 14 hour day and still be up to go out and do something at night, only to get up and repeat it all the next day. Garreth was an incredible person.
I'll miss you buddy. Rest in Peace.
Friday, October 10, 2008
The Velvet Doves
Diane,
At the beginning of the year I joined a flag football team. It's an all first year(1L) law school team that we named after the defendant (Velvet Dove) in the first case we read for law school. Everybody on the team is good friends, but the problem is, we're not overly athletic.
First game of they year, we didn't practice, then went out and got demolished 49-0. The next week, we ran a few plays and did a few drills, but still got crushed 37-0. Better, but definitely not good enough. Last night was our third kick at the can. We played hard on D and shut them out in the 2nd half, but we did nothing on offense and lost 20-0. We can take some good things away from it, but we're 3 weeks into a 5 week season and we have yet to score a single point. I'm actually starting to have flashbacks to my days in the Outfield as a 9 year old baseball player, throwing rocks in the air and catching them in my glove. I like sports, but at some point I'd like to have that trophy, not add to my pile of purple participation ribbons. Next week, the Velvet Doves will fly.
Team VD, on Three...1,2,3...CATCH IT!
At the beginning of the year I joined a flag football team. It's an all first year(1L) law school team that we named after the defendant (Velvet Dove) in the first case we read for law school. Everybody on the team is good friends, but the problem is, we're not overly athletic.
First game of they year, we didn't practice, then went out and got demolished 49-0. The next week, we ran a few plays and did a few drills, but still got crushed 37-0. Better, but definitely not good enough. Last night was our third kick at the can. We played hard on D and shut them out in the 2nd half, but we did nothing on offense and lost 20-0. We can take some good things away from it, but we're 3 weeks into a 5 week season and we have yet to score a single point. I'm actually starting to have flashbacks to my days in the Outfield as a 9 year old baseball player, throwing rocks in the air and catching them in my glove. I like sports, but at some point I'd like to have that trophy, not add to my pile of purple participation ribbons. Next week, the Velvet Doves will fly.
Team VD, on Three...1,2,3...CATCH IT!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Funny Story...
Madame Cardin-al,
I haven't done much writing about my actual law school experience, so I think I should rectify that. It's alot of work, but it is a great experience. The workload is...manageable; the people are awesome and, on the whole, the professors are the best that I have ever had. There's one thing that sticks with me...no one can pronounce my last name.
Over the course of the past 7 weeks I've spent a great deal of time trying to teach people how to say it, and for the most part everyone catches on after 1 or 2 corrections, the one exception being my Torts professor, Professor Chapman. She's a good professor and does well teaching us, but she has a problem with a great deal of the names in the class, which makes it tough in an environment where professional conduct requires that she call us by our last names. After 6 weeks of getting my name mis pronounced ("Far-Shoo", "For-Show", "For-Shoo", ect.), I finally just said in class "Aaron will be fine"; which got a huge laugh in class. Today, Professor Chapman again called on me, but this time she just looked at my name and gave up, deciding to just call me "Mr., uh, Aaron", which again got a laugh. At the break, I decided to help her out. I went to the front of the room and spelled out "4-Shaw" above my name on the seating chart for her. After the break I again raised my hand and when she called on me and said my name right for the first time, the entire class erupted in applause for her. She got a little red in the face, but took it in stride. Didn't expect the response, but it was a pretty funny moment.
Ah well, back to my contracts book. Later.
I haven't done much writing about my actual law school experience, so I think I should rectify that. It's alot of work, but it is a great experience. The workload is...manageable; the people are awesome and, on the whole, the professors are the best that I have ever had. There's one thing that sticks with me...no one can pronounce my last name.
Over the course of the past 7 weeks I've spent a great deal of time trying to teach people how to say it, and for the most part everyone catches on after 1 or 2 corrections, the one exception being my Torts professor, Professor Chapman. She's a good professor and does well teaching us, but she has a problem with a great deal of the names in the class, which makes it tough in an environment where professional conduct requires that she call us by our last names. After 6 weeks of getting my name mis pronounced ("Far-Shoo", "For-Show", "For-Shoo", ect.), I finally just said in class "Aaron will be fine"; which got a huge laugh in class. Today, Professor Chapman again called on me, but this time she just looked at my name and gave up, deciding to just call me "Mr., uh, Aaron", which again got a laugh. At the break, I decided to help her out. I went to the front of the room and spelled out "4-Shaw" above my name on the seating chart for her. After the break I again raised my hand and when she called on me and said my name right for the first time, the entire class erupted in applause for her. She got a little red in the face, but took it in stride. Didn't expect the response, but it was a pretty funny moment.
Ah well, back to my contracts book. Later.
Retrace
Dear Diane,
The ‘I miss home’ post is here. There’s so much I miss right now; my family; my friends; the chill of a cool October day on the grey prairie streets; heck, even Beans is on my mind. There’s one person in particular that I wish I could see right now though: Holly.
No matter how much of a jerk I’ve been to her, no matter how much I’ve tried to forget what we meant to each other and move on (literally), she’s been a constant calming force in my life for the last four years. I love her; I always have and always will. I always said that one of the pre-requisites to be with me was you had to get at least 60% of my lame jokes and that girl hits on a solid 90%. It’s definitely more than that though. She’s organized, hard working, ambitious, funny, and beautiful. And I threw it away. Pretty stupid, eh, Mrs. C?
I got the new Anberlin CD last week, which is a band that we discovered together one random HMV trip when I just decided to pick up a CD to see what good music was out there. On the album is a song that pretty much explains everything I’m feeling, so I’ll close this post with those lyrics.
Oh, how I've tried to get you out of my head. And I lied, broken words I said. Never thought I'd walk on this street again. Standing where it all began. Tried to forget when I left this town, But it takes me right back when I come back around. Retrace the steps we took on that long summer night. I'm right there by your side. Retrace the steps we took when we met worlds away. Counting backwards while the stars are falling. Oh, how I find every subtle thing screams your name. It reminds me of places of times we shared. Couldn't live locked in these memories. Now I'm chained to my thoughts again. And I tried to forget when I left this town, But I'll take you right back if you come back around. Retrace the steps we took on that long summer night. I'm right there by your side. Retrace the steps we took when we met worlds away. Counting backwards while the stars are falling. I need some shelter, I need some safety. Photographs, they haunt me lately. Chasing shadows as the evening takes me. I'm still searching, but the picture's fading. Retrace the steps we took on that long summer night. I'm right there by your side. Retrace the steps we took when we met worlds away. Counting backwards, still counting backwards. And no where else has ever felt like home. And I can't fall asleep when I'm lying here alone. I replay your voice, it's like you're here. You move the earth, but now the sky is falling. Retrace the steps we took on that long summer night. In my mind, I'm back by your side. Retrace the steps we took when we met worlds away. Counting backwards while the stars are falling.
The ‘I miss home’ post is here. There’s so much I miss right now; my family; my friends; the chill of a cool October day on the grey prairie streets; heck, even Beans is on my mind. There’s one person in particular that I wish I could see right now though: Holly.
No matter how much of a jerk I’ve been to her, no matter how much I’ve tried to forget what we meant to each other and move on (literally), she’s been a constant calming force in my life for the last four years. I love her; I always have and always will. I always said that one of the pre-requisites to be with me was you had to get at least 60% of my lame jokes and that girl hits on a solid 90%. It’s definitely more than that though. She’s organized, hard working, ambitious, funny, and beautiful. And I threw it away. Pretty stupid, eh, Mrs. C?
I got the new Anberlin CD last week, which is a band that we discovered together one random HMV trip when I just decided to pick up a CD to see what good music was out there. On the album is a song that pretty much explains everything I’m feeling, so I’ll close this post with those lyrics.
Oh, how I've tried to get you out of my head. And I lied, broken words I said. Never thought I'd walk on this street again. Standing where it all began. Tried to forget when I left this town, But it takes me right back when I come back around. Retrace the steps we took on that long summer night. I'm right there by your side. Retrace the steps we took when we met worlds away. Counting backwards while the stars are falling. Oh, how I find every subtle thing screams your name. It reminds me of places of times we shared. Couldn't live locked in these memories. Now I'm chained to my thoughts again. And I tried to forget when I left this town, But I'll take you right back if you come back around. Retrace the steps we took on that long summer night. I'm right there by your side. Retrace the steps we took when we met worlds away. Counting backwards while the stars are falling. I need some shelter, I need some safety. Photographs, they haunt me lately. Chasing shadows as the evening takes me. I'm still searching, but the picture's fading. Retrace the steps we took on that long summer night. I'm right there by your side. Retrace the steps we took when we met worlds away. Counting backwards, still counting backwards. And no where else has ever felt like home. And I can't fall asleep when I'm lying here alone. I replay your voice, it's like you're here. You move the earth, but now the sky is falling. Retrace the steps we took on that long summer night. In my mind, I'm back by your side. Retrace the steps we took when we met worlds away. Counting backwards while the stars are falling.
Friday, October 3, 2008
A couple thoughts on the VP Debate
Dear Diane,
I watched most of the VP debate last night, suspended between fear and excitement about what gaffes might come out of Palin's mouth, or how possible it was that Biden would push too hard and make a sympathetic figure out of her, which would have made me very happy. What I saw was not much in the way of substance...until the subject of foreign affairs came up.
I heard alot of the same rhetoric coming out of Biden that I had heard this campaign; how it was wrong to go into Iraq; how McCain was lock step with Bush on going in; how it's time to get out. But it was the first time I had heard him use his own words on what he thought when the US went off to war in 2003. He said:
" But let's get straight who has been right and wrong. John McCain and Dick Cheney said while I was saying we would not be greeted as liberators, we would not - this war would take a decade and not a day, not a week and not six months, we would not be out of there quickly. John McCain was saying the Sunnis and Shias got along with each other without reading the history of the last 700 years. John McCain said there would be enough oil to pay for this. John McCain has been dead wrong. I love him. As my mother would say, god love him, but he's been dead wrong on the fundamental issues relating to the conduct of the war. Barack Obama has been right. There are the facts."
Let's assume what Sen. Biden is saying is true; He knew from the onset of this war, better than anyone else and this war would take "a decade, not a week, not six months". Well, my math might be a little fuzzy, but I think we're 5 years into this war. A war Senator Biden VOTED FOR! This man knew better, apparently, but felt it was still important to go in, and now with victory still far from assured, he falls in line with Obama on a plan to put timeline on when US troops will be out of Iraq...a full 3 and a half years ahead of his own timetable.
But that's only half of it. Literally seconds later, Sen. Biden busts out this gem:
"I always am focused, as you know Gwen, I have been focusing on for a long time, along with Barack on Pakistan. Pakistan already has nuclear weapons. Pakistan already has deployed nuclear weapons. Pakistan's weapons can already hit Israel and the Mediterranean...and by the way, that's where bin Laden lives and we will go at him if we have actual intelligence."
I understand wanting to get troops out of a place they never should have been to begin with, but this doesn't sound like a "bring our troops home" mantra. For all those who are voting Obama for that purpose, it's not going to happen. An exit from Iraq will only mean another failed state in the world that falls into the hands of a new dictator that takes control through increased bloodshed. And what happens to those American troops? They leave an increasingly stable situation in Iraq to go fight insurgents in the Mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan, where death and dismemberment are much more likely. The fighting is far from over, but at least John McCain is man enough to stand his ground and try and fix the problem he helped create. That's more than I can say for Biden.
I watched most of the VP debate last night, suspended between fear and excitement about what gaffes might come out of Palin's mouth, or how possible it was that Biden would push too hard and make a sympathetic figure out of her, which would have made me very happy. What I saw was not much in the way of substance...until the subject of foreign affairs came up.
I heard alot of the same rhetoric coming out of Biden that I had heard this campaign; how it was wrong to go into Iraq; how McCain was lock step with Bush on going in; how it's time to get out. But it was the first time I had heard him use his own words on what he thought when the US went off to war in 2003. He said:
" But let's get straight who has been right and wrong. John McCain and Dick Cheney said while I was saying we would not be greeted as liberators, we would not - this war would take a decade and not a day, not a week and not six months, we would not be out of there quickly. John McCain was saying the Sunnis and Shias got along with each other without reading the history of the last 700 years. John McCain said there would be enough oil to pay for this. John McCain has been dead wrong. I love him. As my mother would say, god love him, but he's been dead wrong on the fundamental issues relating to the conduct of the war. Barack Obama has been right. There are the facts."
Let's assume what Sen. Biden is saying is true; He knew from the onset of this war, better than anyone else and this war would take "a decade, not a week, not six months". Well, my math might be a little fuzzy, but I think we're 5 years into this war. A war Senator Biden VOTED FOR! This man knew better, apparently, but felt it was still important to go in, and now with victory still far from assured, he falls in line with Obama on a plan to put timeline on when US troops will be out of Iraq...a full 3 and a half years ahead of his own timetable.
But that's only half of it. Literally seconds later, Sen. Biden busts out this gem:
"I always am focused, as you know Gwen, I have been focusing on for a long time, along with Barack on Pakistan. Pakistan already has nuclear weapons. Pakistan already has deployed nuclear weapons. Pakistan's weapons can already hit Israel and the Mediterranean...and by the way, that's where bin Laden lives and we will go at him if we have actual intelligence."
I understand wanting to get troops out of a place they never should have been to begin with, but this doesn't sound like a "bring our troops home" mantra. For all those who are voting Obama for that purpose, it's not going to happen. An exit from Iraq will only mean another failed state in the world that falls into the hands of a new dictator that takes control through increased bloodshed. And what happens to those American troops? They leave an increasingly stable situation in Iraq to go fight insurgents in the Mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan, where death and dismemberment are much more likely. The fighting is far from over, but at least John McCain is man enough to stand his ground and try and fix the problem he helped create. That's more than I can say for Biden.
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