Written by: Patrick Galvin       

Dick Cheney has cried foul this week regarding Joe Biden’s comments that the turn of events in Iraq could be “one of President Barack Obama’s greatest achievements.”  According to Cheney, not enough proper credit is being given to former President Bush and his initial insight into the situation.

"FIVE!....FIVE DOLLAR!.....FIVE DOLLAR FOOTLOOOOOONG!!!"

Story from AP (Courtesy of Yahoo! News):

“If they’re going to take credit for it, fair enough, for what they’ve done while they’re there,” Cheney said Sunday. “But it ought to go with a healthy dose of ‘thank you, George Bush’ up front and a recognition that some of their early recommendations, with respect to prosecuting that war, were just dead wrong.

Asked about Biden’s comments, former Vice President Cheney said, “If they had had their way, if we’d followed the policies they’d pursued from the outset or advocated from the outset, Saddam Hussein would still be in power in Baghdad today.”

Biden, appearing on Sunday news shows, said he believes Obama has managed the war in Iraq “very well” since taking office a year ago. He said, however, that he doesn’t believe the war was worth the “horrible price” in lives lost and the initial mismanagement of the war by Bush.

Cheney is partially right, except for the fact that Bush sold the war on the premise of WMD’s, which was never validated.  Meanwhile Obama sold the new efforts on the idea of “damage control.”  Whether Bush ends up being right on this, I’m not sure but I hope he was.  But how you frame the argument makes all the difference.  Voters deserve to have the initial reason for doing something match up with the end result.

 Written by: Mike       

In just a few short hours, the final season of LOST is going to hit the airwaves. What is to follow in the coming weeks and months is the culmination of one of the most successful TV shows of the 2000′s. It is not hyperbole to suggest that LOST has drastically changed the landscape of the small screen; it’s success prompted other networks to launch shows like Heros and Prison Break.

But business and ratings aside, it’s the essence of story telling and character building which sets LOST apart. No other show I can remember dives so deep into the back-story of a character; essentially showing the viewer why the character acts a certain way. It’s essential to pulling the viewer in and providing a truly memorable experience. While most shows develop characters within the current story, LOST told their stories from the past seamlessly integrating them into the present.

What other show insipires fans to dress up their food items?

Season 1 to most was the story of a group of survivors of a plane crash. Had that been all the show was, it would have seen modest success based on the production alone. Adding layers upon layers to the story drove the fans insane, but in a good way. The following LOST enjoys on-line is unprecedented and something we are not likely to see again anytime soon. It’s not that far fetched to believe the writers of the show derived inspiration from numerous fan sites, blogs, and chat rooms.

In 4 months, the answers to the questions we’ve been asking since 2004 will be answered in some way shape or form. Certainly not all of them, but I believe a good chunk will be. The menial, “what is the meaning of the book they are reading in Juliette’s book club” question will forever go unanswered. But if you’re upset about that, LOST isn’t for you. LOST is about larger questions, questions we seek the answers to every day.

“Do I put more of my trust into science, or faith?”
“Is there such thing as destiny?”
“Is there a higher power? And if so, does he have my best interests in mind?”

These have been constants in the story of LOST for the past 5 years, and I’m confident the characters in the story will be presented with the answers they are seeking. So while it may not be a suitable answer for you, just remember one thing while watching this season. This was the story of two awesome writers, not yours. It’s been one hell of a ride they’ve taken us on… and it’s just now entering the final turn.