Given the historic reluctance among conservatives to expand the size of the federal government, one of the most ironic developments since 9/11 is how that catastrophe created the opening for perhaps the most egregious example of government waste, fraud and abuse ever, also know as the Department of Homeland Security.

With politicians from both sides of the aisle waving the flag, and perhaps hiding behind it, the bureaucrats, lobbyists and contractors sucking on the federal breast have stolen or wasted billions according to the General Accounting Office, making the Department of Homeland Security sometimes seem like one huge, get-rich quick scheme.

Listen to Kayla Todd, one of the injured students describe what it was like when the twister hit her school. "The lights flickered off and they told all of us to just get down and the next thing I know everything-debris is flying everywhere. One hall the roof is completely caved-in and as far as I know, one of my friends was up under it and I'm just worried that she's not okay. But its just-it was so scary."

Jack, a neighbor of mine over in New Jersey drove up as I stood outside, welcomed me home from Iraq, and then proceeded to blast the media for its obsession with those twin blonde disasters, dead and alive, Anna Nicole and Britney Spears.

These photos were taken by CPT Isaac Carson of the Army's Media Operations Center in Bagdhad.  The General in some
of the pictures is Brigadier General John Campbell, the Deputy Commanding General for Maneuver for the 1st Cavalry Division and Multi-National Division Baghdad.

Camp Liberty
Baghdad, Iraq
February 17, 2007

"I made Baghdad the top security priority," said President Bush Friday. "In other words, it is important in order to achieve our objective that the capital city of this grand country be secure. And I sent reinforcements to our troops, so they can accomplish that mission."

The key is Baghdad. That's why the embattled President and our military commanders chose this blood soaked place to make our stand, to surge our forces in an aggressive effort to curtail the wretched violence, disrupt insurgent activity and deny the extremists the safe haven some of these neighborhoods have been providing.