The Final Ass Clown of the Month for 2014!

Well, Dear Readers, Christmas has come and gone and it's now time to heave a sigh of exasperation and knuckle down to those most American of post-Christmas activities: paying for the Christmas gifts, and getting ready to prepare our 2015 tax returns.

Oy.

It's also time to name our final bi-weekly Ass Clown awardee.

While voting for the 2014 Ass Clown of the Year is still going on (and is summarized below), we still have one last awardee to name for the current year. And therefore, it is my honor and privilege* to name 2014's final biweekly Ass Clown ...

Former Vice President Dick Cheney

Amid the furor that arose over the release of a Congressional report detailing the use of torture on terrorism suspects, Mr Cheney strongly defended the controversial program, saying that he has "no regrets" and "would do it again in a minute."

While many argue that the torture of individuals responsible for the despicable murder of innocents simply shows that they are reaping what they've sown, America has always stood for the rule of law and justice - even when it's hard, and even when such rules have been mocked and ignored by other nations and groups. By resorting to the terrible actions for which we have so often condemned other regimes, we have lowered ourselves to their level and have forfeited the moral high ground. Mr Cheney's defense of such actions is unworthy of a former Vice President ... and, indeed, of anyone who holds American values dear.

The final Ass Clown of the Month for 2014 is Mr Dick Cheney. He can reflect on the award the next time news reports show Americans being tortured by those who share his the-end-justifies-the-means values.

The balloting for Ass Clown of the Year continues in full swing, so keep up the voting for your favorite candidates! Here are the top five vote-getters on the leaderboard as of today:

ISIS/"The Islamic State" - 22 votes;
The Republican Congressional Leadership - 20 votes;
The Taliban - 14 votes;
Dick Cheney - 10 votes; and,
The Democratic Congressional Leadership - 9 votes.

If your preferred candidate is lagging in the voting, don't delay! Start voting now, and encourage your relatives, friends, and acquaintances (living or dead), co-workers, pets, imaginary childhood friends, and everyone else to vote. The time is now - let your voice be heard without fear of being drowned out by purchased votes! Vote by leaving comments on the blog or e-mailing your choices to der(underscore)blogmeister(at)yahoo(dot)com. Voting ends at midnight on New Year's Eve, and the annual winner will be announced in this blog on January 1st, 2015.

Have a good day. Come back tomorrow for our final Cartoon Saturday of 2014.

More thoughts then.

Bilbo

* And I use the term loosely.