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In little more than a month, the 110th Congress of the United States will convene. Since the election, that went better for Democrats than most of my friends and myself had dared hope for, there has been the fairly normal period of lull before the new blood comes in. But will the change in leadership make a difference?

Anyone who been even halfway paying attention to the White House already knows it doesn’t mean squat to the Decider. Oh, he’s changed his public rhetoric somewhat; his beloved mantra “stay the course” has become passé, ney, even verboten. In fact, I’ve heard him several times in the past month claim that it has never been his policy. This despite the literally hundreds of times you’ve heard the words come from his lips since about the time his got all gussied up in his flight suit for that dog-and-pony show on the Abe Lincoln. How fucking stupid does he think we are?

Let’s be clear at this point: Bush has ABSOLUTELY no intention whatsoever of changing operating policy in Iraq. Period. All that sound and fury surrounding the Iraq Study Group signifies nada. It’s simply more spin intended to give the impression that something constructive is going on at the White House.

Meanwhile, back at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, after offering the sop of a pittance raise in the minimum wage, Democratic leaders have fallen over themselves declaring impeachment “off the table”, the single most stupid bit of public hoo-ha since the prosecution declared that they wouldn’t seek the death penalty against O.J. Simpson. That certainly worked out well, didn’t it?

Time Magazine has declared its “Person of the Year” for 2006 to be you. And specifically, you folks who blog, who join grassroots groups, who sign petitions. You folks with your camera phones keeping cops, who for decades have been on an ass-whoopin’ spree with impunity, on their toes for a change, at least in public. You folks who went to the polls in droves demanding a new direction for the country, and an end to our involvement in Iraq. You.

Well, it’s high time we, you and me, commenced some “shock and awe” of our own. We have to use every tool at our disposal to shake, rattle, and roll the Capitol. Scream from the street corners, talk about it to strangers in bars, friends at church, and any-bloody-body else you can pidgeonhole. Be obnoxious and relentless. And develop a sense of fun while you do it. Don't ever forget we are right, and the right is wrong.

The Iraq Quagmire isn’t located in Mesopotamia. The mess is in Washington, and if we let the new blood slide into the bad habits of the old rascals, all we’re going to get for all the hard work we’ve done so far is more money-friendly bullshit, and more boxes covered in flags shipped home. Honor our troops and end the lie.

Impeach Cheney. Impeach Bush. Then remove both from office. It is the only way the war in Iraq ends. Then, and only then, move on to clean up the mess of filthy lucre that is K Street, so we can finally rid ourselves of government of, by, and for the corporations. It’s as obvious as the ass on My Pet Goat.