Good riddance, Rove.

With the recent departures of Karl Rove and Alberto Gonzalez — just the latest in a long line of Administration officials to jump ship – President Bush is left as the lone cowboy standing. You almost have to feel a little sorry for Gonzalez, who was clearly in way over his head to begin with. But Karl Rove is a whole different story. I always thought “the Architect” was an ironic nickname for someone who made a career out of tearing people down. Did you catch that tearful farewell on the White House lawn a few weeks back? I don't imagine too many other Americans were welling up at the departure of a man who single-handedly swift-boated some of our finest heroes. John Murtha, John Kerry, John McCain, Max Cleland, the list goes on. The guy could smear Mother Teresa – he's that devious.

Karl Rove personally reinvented what it means to play dirty politics and I, for one, couldn't be happier to see him go. I just wish he could take some of his failed policies with him.

Let's get it right this time.

Here it is. My first official blog entry. Since I intend this to be an honest discussion about the state of this nation, I’m going to start this thing off by being blunt — I screwed up. In 2000, I supported and even officially endorsed George W. Bush for President. Seven years later, we’re in a war we can’t get out of, the deficit has nearly doubled, the energy crisis is coming to a head, and as I write this, our stock market is experiencing a serious case of the jitters. And don’t even get me started on healthcare.

So needless to say, while I can’t undue the past, I have every intention of making sure we do the right thing for the future. Let the blogging begin.