Osama's meek and humble almost-surrender

Here's a great article about how the new Bin Laden tape shows that we are making major progress in this war, and why we should now re-elect Bush to see that war through to the end. Instapundit had the link first, of course. Here's a great paragraph from the end of the article:

Syndicated columnist Austin Bay, who just returned from several months in Iraq, wrote about how we are winning in August 2003. To students of this war, it is no surprise that many of al Qaeda's claws have been pulled. I say as always, we must not let down our guard but neither should we relent in the attack to crush al Qaeda now once for all. I think that there is a good chance the new bin Laden tape shows the corner has been turned. President Bush said after 2001 that the war against al Qaeda would occupy several successive administrations after his. I myself wrote in Sept. 2001 that the task ahead would take decades. Now I am more confident than ever. The collapse of Islamist terrorism may well come very quickly, especially as an internationally-coordinated effort. Casual Islamist terrorist groups will still work death, as in Chechnya, but the days of central resourcing and coordination out of al Qaeda are pretty much done.

********
Now for something on the lighter side, because otherwise my head will explode. Here are some interesting little tidbits about the Blogosphere:

1) Some people now use faux html coding (like < strong > for bold) to indicate their sarcasm or lack thereof. E.g.: < sarc on > Oh I'm so scared by that Bin Laden tape. < /sarc off > Maybe this doesn't seem all that funny or clever to you, but if you're a neophyte html coder like me, it's a laugh riot, trust me.

2) The latest trend is to be first when posting a comment to a popular blog, and all you have to do is write "First!" and then post it. That's it. Funny, isn't it? Or just goofy? I report, you decide.

3) Hmmm. I guess I don't have a "3" right now. Sorry.

Back to cleaning the kitchen, while simultaneously trying to lighten up about the election. I'm still very confident, but the back-and-forth nature of this whole thing is making me crazed. I've talked to so many women lately who say the same thing: They can hardly stand the stress, and they can't wait for this to be over.

Now go and post your prediction!