He traveled to the shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland to announce federal protection for two coveted species of game fish, the striped bass and the red drum. He appeared in the Rose Garden to call on lenders to help struggling homeowners refinance. He came out in favor of giving the Food and Drug Administration new authority to recall unsafe foods.

Just this weekend, thanks to an executive order by Mr. Bush, the military is opening up additional air space — the White House calls it a “Thanksgiving express lane” — to lessen congestion in the skies. And Mr. Bush’s aides say more announcements are in the works, including another initiative, likely to be announced soon, intended to ease the mortgage lending crisis."

Now, I know some of you will absolutely freak out if I come down in favor of anything Mr. Bush does, and it's not like I'm saying he can redeem himself for Afghanistan, Iraq, the economy, the Patriot Act, and all those other little "oopsies" of his eight-year run by saving some endangered birds. But I gotta admit, this is the sort of thing I think all presidents should be doing, bc it is important to the American people and bc they are president of a country that has more issues going on than just war.

So I'm a believer in "keep it small." Work on the little stuff, I've learned in counseling, and once you get your day-to-day crap together, the big stuff doesn't seem so insurmountable. If we protected our environment one bird species at a time, or improved traveling conditions one holiday at a time for business and pleasure, or safeguarded the ability of Americans to own their own property without having to work three jobs to pay a mortgage, would we start to see some real changes in this country? Like people choosing to "go green" bc they recognize the value of the earth, and laws that have changed to protect one species forcing businesses to change a host of dangerous environmental practices that would protect the planet itself? Like more people turning to mass transit, even on a semi-regular basis, instead of everyone driving their own vehicle, which further pollutes our already-damaged environment? Like people having more money, more financial security, and more economic and personal ties to a community bc they can own the home they want and be able to live in it for years and years instead of trying to escape foreclosure?

Well, in typical let's-all-be-spiteful-political-assholes fashion, the Democrats have decided to stick it to Bush for his new agenda:

"Democrats, like Senator Byron L. Dorgan of North Dakota, who runs the Senate’s Democratic Policy Committee, dismiss the actions as window dressing. “It’s more words than substance,” said Mr. Dorgan said, adding he was surprised to see a president who has often seemed averse to federal regulation using his regulatory authority.  “He’s kind of a late bloomer,” Mr. Dorgan said."

Now, maybe I've got it backwards, but I thought the Democratic party was traditionally the one who gave a damn about the regular joes of this country? Maybe the Dems need to get back to the kitchen table themselves.

Could we lose Hilary's invitation, though?