Secretary of State Joe Biden

Senator John Kerry has begun the process of naming his cabinet. Advantage: Boston and the old boyo network! Tommy V, Billy D! You go guys! Of course, the timing was a little unfortunate, what with the election next Tuesday and all. But hey, never too early to let the New York crowd know where they stand in the scheme of things. Thanks for the money, there's the end of the line.

An October Surprise.

I, for one, never imagined it possible. Not after they fell behind 3-0 to the Yanks in the ALCS. They ran the table after that, winning eight of their last eight games. If they were unnervingly inept regarding the fundamentals of the game, they were also all heart and mental toughness.

The stars were Ramirez and Ortiz, but the soul of the team was Varitek. A pro's pro and a great champion. He was no surprise.

Bush for President

Someone asked me the other day why I supported President Bush, "aside from the family thing" as he put it. I said I was supporting him because I thought he understood The Issue at stake better than anyone alive. And because he cared about that issue completely. And that he was on the right side of that issue from day one and every day thereafter. And that he was devoted to committing this nation to a course of offensive engagement with the terror apparatus that might, just might, save us all here in the United States. The issue, of course, is the fight against Al Qaeda, its associates, enablers and like-mindeds.

The President Bush I read about in the papers and the newsweeklies and the blogs bears almost no resemblance to the President Bush I know and visit with from time to time. (I've never seen media as blatantly dishonest and biased as we have all seen this year.) The man I know is smart, extraordinarily disciplined, enormously hard-working, open to new ideas and approaches, decisive, shrewd and gifted with a keen sense of the possible. He is decent and honest and true, which cannot be said of many of his critics.

Has he made mistakes? Yes he has. Do they warrant his retirement. I don't think so. Because over-riding everything is the issue and on this issue President Bush has been steadfast and strong and right as rain, while his opponent has rambled and waffled and weaseled every which way.

Our enemies will brace for four more years of hell if Bush is re-elected. They will celebrate if Senator Kerry wins.

Here's to four more years of hell.