Economy Grows Better Than Expected

My Way News: "WASHINGTON (AP) - The economy grew at a solid 3.8 percent annual rate in the final quarter of 2004 - stronger than previously estimated- and an encouraging sign that the business expansion was firmly entrenched at the start of the new year."

U.S. Refuses One-On-One North Korea Talks

My Way News: "'It's not an issue between North Korea and the United States. It's a regional issue,' White House press secretary Scott McClellan said. 'And it's an issue that impacts all of its neighbors.' North Korea has plenty of opportunity to talk to the United States within six-party talks, McClellan said. In an interview with a South Korean newspaper Friday, North Korea's U.N. envoy demanded bilateral talks with the United States. 'We will return to the six-nation talks when we see a reason to do so and the conditions are ripe,' Han Sung Ryol told Seoul's Hankyoreh newspaper in an interview published Friday. 'If the United States moves to have direct dialogue with us, we can take that as a signal that the United States is changing its hostile policy toward us.' U.S. officials believe North Korea, which is seeking bilateral talks with the United States, may have from four to two dozen nuclear devices, depending on the assumptions used about the bombs' designs." So why should the talks stop just because North Korea refuses to take part? We should continue the discussion of what to do with North Korea even if they refuse to take part. We should not allow them power in this by stopping the negotiations. We should continue discussing with the other members how to handle North Korea. Everybody knows that they are going to drop a nuke on us if we don't stop them. The only question is how many Americans are willing to die to prevent that and is that enough to stop them.

Some Dems nervous as Dean resurges

Yahoo! News - Some Dems nervous as Dean resurges: "Dean was a fiscal conservative and supported gun rights as governor. But he came across in his presidential campaign as a dovish Northeastern liberal with a tendency to commit gaffes, such as his 'scream' speech after losing the Iowa caucuses. Not the obvious choice for a party struggling to find a camera-ready leader, increase its appeal in Republican-leaning states and convince people it can keep them safe." Go Dean! I really do hope he doesn't pull a "Dean" this time. (A "Dean" is when one is very far ahead in the polls and then loses it all at the last moment.)

Cookie klatch lands girls in court

DenverPost.com - LOCAL NEWS: "Cookie klatch lands girls in court" This is almost unbelievable. It has very little to do with politics but struck me as so absurd, I figured I would blog it.

Dean Emerging as Likely Chief for Democrats

The New York Times > Washington > Dean Emerging as Likely Chief for Democrats: "Republicans, who had already been portraying the Democrats as obstructionist and extreme, seemed somewhere between being delighted and amused to have Dr. Dean to kick around again, instantly invoking a defining moment in his career. 'After 10 years, you wonder if Democrats are running out of ways to say no,' said Representative Tom DeLay of Texas, the House majority leader. 'But then again, if they make Howard Dean the party chairman, I guess you could scream it.' Richard Bond, the former head of the Republican National Committee, said: 'He's a very capable guy, he's got high energy, but he will reinforce all of their worst instincts. His style and message is one that will narrow his party's options rather than expand them.' 'I think it's a scream,' Mr. Bond said." If Dean really does make it (it wouldn't be the first time he was way ahead and lost it all) then I'd say that this is the nail in the coffin for liberals. Dean will accelerate the demise of the democratic party as it is known today (full of wacked-out liberals) and that should encourage the conservative democrats to finally take the party back.