"Bush Surging, not fading, as tenure's end nears", a column in TheHill.com by former Cheney deputy assistant and former special assistant to President Bush, Ron Christie. Mr. Christie lays out the case that President Bush's policies have reached fruition in the past few days. Here are some examples:

1. Economic Growth

• New data released last week showed that America added 94,000 jobs in November 2007 — capping a remarkable 51 straight months in which jobs have been created in our economy. Despite partisan claims that the economy is soft, more than 8.3 million jobs have been created since August 2003 and unemployment remains low (4.7 percent). America remains open for business.

Stem cells

• the president’s resolve and strength to draw a moral boundary line to protect innocent unborn life has been vindicated. scientists announced last week they could produce an embryo-free way to produce genetically matched stem cells. OR
• the president’s decision to draw a bright moral line against destroying human life while providing federal dollars for the first time to stimulate stem cell research has proven successful. The silence in the media about this remarkable development has been deafening.

Iraq

• the central government of Iraq has reached its 2007 budget revenue target of $30.2 billion,derived mostly from oil revenues.
• Lt. General Ray Odierno has reported that the has been a 23-week decline — nearly six months — in insurgent deaths and attacks upon Iraqi civilians.
• In Mosul, the airport opened for the first time in 14 years for commercial aviation flights. In a region of the country long associated with violence, Iraqi Airlines is now open for business

"Political stability long thought to be an elusive dream is becoming a daily reality across Iraq.From the surge in Iraq, vindication with his stem cell position and strong economic development on the home front, President George W. Bush has hit his stride and is surging rather than limping into his last year in office. For those who have counted him out, the president remains resolute, perhaps comfortable in the knowledge that history, rather than bitter partisans in Washington, will favorably reflect on his two terms in office for waging an effective war against terrorism while demonstrating capable stewardship and remarkable domestic accomplishments during a time of war."

I would add that President Bush's newly found veto pen has given the Republican party an opportunity to become the budget hawks they used to be. He has only used it 7 times in as many years. Today, he vetoed the latest S-CHIP bill for the following reasons:

"This bill does not put poor children first, and it moves our country's health care system in the wrong direction," Bush's statement said. "Ultimately, our nation's goal should be to move children who have no health insurance to private coverage, not to move children who already have private health insurance to government coverage."

The Gift That Keeps On Giving
The Democrats running for the highest office in the land keep providing much needed fodder for the GOP. First, it was Hillary's non-response during the debate. Of course this is a move to pacify the far left wing of the Democratic Party. Move On and Code Pink were pissed enough when Nancy said impeachment was "off the table. Her statement caused media whore Nancy Sheenhan to vow to challenge Pelosi for her San Francisco seat if Nancy didn't bring articles of impeachment against Bush Cheney. This move is clearly a feint by a no shot President to please the left-wing.
Dennis Kucinich introduced articles of impeachment for Vice President Cheney for high crimes and misdemeanors. Evidently his high crime was believing intelligence from no less than 3 foreign intelligence agencies. According to sources, Republicans changed their votes to kill the measure and force the Democrats to take a position on impeaching the Vice President.
Republican lawmakers and aides credited Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) for coming up with the idea.
-Update at 4:30 p.m. ET:

Perhaps we should pause to explain. When most Republicans unexpectedly -- and on orders of GOP leadership, the AP is reporting -- switched sides and voted against tabling the measure, they essentially forced Democrats to keep talking about it on the floor. Tabling the measure would have killed it.
Debate over Cheney's impeachment is in direct opposition to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's wishes. She has repeatedly said an impeachment of Cheney or President Bush is off the table. Thus, failing to table this measure is a essentially a jab in Pelosi's ribs.

The White House struck back at the do-nothing Congress;

"It is one thing for Congressman Kucinich to use this political ploy in his presidential campaign. It is another thing to do so on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Democrat-led Congress still has not sent the President a single appropriations bill. It's time to do so, our troops are waiting," Cheney spokeswoman Megan Mitchell said.

White House press secretary Dana Perino said:

"This Congress has not sent a single appropriations bill to the presidents
desk this year... yet, they find time to spend an entire work period on futile
votes to impeach the vice president or to pass contempt citations against the
president's chief of staff and former counsel," referring to House efforts to
issue citations to former White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former counsel Harriet Miers for failing to respond to subpoenas.