TALKING OF CHRISTMAS. Our lights are up. This is a record. The folks down the street have a display up that looks like it was engineered by the people at Disney. Another So Cal "winter" day: 70 F day with cool night falling and the sun setting way too early.

The media hounds are after President Bush for having the termerity to sacrifice his own holiday and go to Baghdad. One yapper even said, "He should have stayed longer and talked to all the elements in Iraq." All the elements? Including Saddamists?

The reality is that W's visit was a genuine thing for this man to do. Did you see the tape? Did you see his eyes well up when the troops gave him a second standing O?

Face it: this is is really honored to be President. He makes decisions based on priniciple. I know that that Dash-it-all Howard the Duck Dean wing of the Democrat party are still looking for Cardboard Clinton as President, but that trivial man for trivial times is history. Face it, the Adults are running the show. And this adult is a real man.