Dems, the French, Television and Sheehan

Dear Mark: Go ahead and gloat because Scott Brown won in Massachusetts. Even though I'm a Democrat, I never imagined a Republican taking Ted Kennedy's seat. What should the Democrats do now? — Depressed Dem in Denton

Dear Depressed: Democrats are in a tizzy, with one analyst describing the party as "standing in a circular firing squad" pointing fingers in all directions except the White House.

Brown's message was simple: smaller government, lower taxes, get tough with terrorists, transparency in government and take the Democrats plan for health care reform back to the drawing board. Obviously, his message resonated with the voters in Massachusetts, which gave him the equivalent of a landslide victory for a conservative in the bluest of states.

President Obama and his party need to listen to the voters in New Jersey, Virginia and Massachusetts or suffer major losses in November.

Dear Mark: You were ahead of the game in politicizing Haiti in your previous column. The French are now throwing a fit because the United States is taking the lead during the relief effort in Haiti. Shouldn't we forget about what the world thinks and just do what is right? — America the Beautiful in Bowling Green

Dear America: Thankfully that appears to be what we are doing. President Obama has gotten this one right — but leave it to the French to prove my point.

French Cooperation Minister Alain Joyandet said on French radio, "This is about helping Haiti, not occupying Haiti." The French are also waiting on a United Nations decision on how governments should work together in Haiti.

Hey, France, just go on whining and waiting for the United Nations. In the meantime, the United States will continue to take the lead and rescue as many Haitians as possible.

Dear Mark: The president's State of the Union Address is scheduled for Jan.

27. Do you expect any surprises? — TiVo Tim in Tyler

Dear TiVo: The only surprise is that President Obama originally wanted to speak the following week but was reportedly rejected by the networks because February is an important month for ratings. Ouch!

Barack Obama rejected because of poor ratings? I thought the world was so mesmerized by the president's words that the networks would be guaranteed millions of viewers. That hiss you hear is the sound of air leaving Obama's ego.

As for content, the president' speech will contain the usual liberal, big-government, pie-in-the-sky goblety goop with a heaping helping of blaming George Bush.

Dear Mark: Professional Iraq war protestor Cindy Sheehan is in the news again, and this time she has not only been protesting in front of the CIA headquarters but also at Dick Cheney's house. Her beef is with the United States using unmanned drones to attack al-Qaida and the Taliban. Isn't "unmanned" a good thing? — Sheehan Shmeehan in So Cal

Dear Shmeehan: Any technology that reduces the risk to our military should be lauded, not protested. Cindy Sheehan is the gift that keeps on giving. Does she even realize that Dick Cheney is the former vice president, or is it just too tough for her to fly to Hawaii and protest during President Obama's vacations?

She practically lived in Crawford, Texas, protesting George Bush, and the media treated each event as if it were Woodstock. As ditzy as she comes across, even Sheehan understands the effectiveness of protesting a vice president who seriously has an impact on this administration. When Dick Cheney speaks, people actually listen. Sorry, Mr. Biden.

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