I need to make some new footy friends

I was standing all by myself Saturday at the match, feeling pretty lonely. redactrice doesn't come to games with me any more, of course. Neither does soccer_fox :-(. My buddy Justin was out of town. Even Shouty Man and his daughter (a ManU/Liverpool family feud that sits next to me with whom I chat) were absent, leaving my row almost as empty as my soccer family. :-/

I do know a fair number of people in the supporters' club, but they're all sitting in the club section, about a quarter of the stadium away from where N and I got seats together a couple of years ago.

Watching United is still fun (though it was a bit nerve wracking this week), but it's a lot less fun without a companion.

As, in fact, most things are. :-/

Cheney: rather have Limbaugh than Powell

Former Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday took a shot at former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell by accusing him of turning his back on Republicans, adding that conservative broadcaster Rush Limbaugh is a more loyal party member than the retired Army general.

"If I had to choose in terms of being a Republican, I'd go with Rush Limbaugh," said Mr. Cheney on CBS' "Face the Nation."

Mr. Powell recently said that Republicans need to move to the center politically and said that Mr. Limbaugh's conservative rhetoric is polarizing and hurts the party's image. The radio talk-show host fired back by accusing Mr. Powell of being "just another liberal" and said he should become a Democrat.

Because who wouldn't rather follow a blowhard drug-addict, college drop-out, and failed comedian then a serious, honourable, and thoughtful military hero and statesman? And that's the version of the story from the ultraconservative Washington Times, not from some "liberal" news outlet...

I was just saying to my friend Justin today that I keep expecting someone in the GOP to say, "Look, being the party of war and hate speech has proven to be a disastrously bad idea; let's try moving back to the center" but that I got the impression that they had managed to chase everyone out who might say that. Seems like I'm right.

I don't know whether to hope the Cheneyists actually manage to drive out all the non-ultraconservatives. If they do, it will seal the GOP into irrelevance for a generation at least. OTOH, it's not terribly good for the country to have no credible opposition party.

oh, and...

I still think Canada has the best national anthem EVER! They played it before DC's game with Toronto on Saturday, with the same guy singing it that always comes, and all the Toronto fans (and many other folks in the stands) were signing it lustily along with him.

For whatever reason, I find it far more moving than the US or UK anthems...

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Monday night wrap-up

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