ost mornings AJ our Australian border collie is up before me, tail wagging and standing bedside in anticipation of some adventure with me. He wants out, and me to get up, and he usually gets his way. Some mornings if I appear to lack enthusiasm for his timetable he becomes persistent; he always wins.
This morning, the first of the year, dawned overcast, cloudy, with rain threatening; a good time for an extra hour of rest and repair from the adventures of New Year's Eve. It was not to be. He was clear of mind and purpose this January 1st., 2006. I brought in the newspapers, put on the coffee, grabbed his leash and we went for a walk through the suburb. It didn't appear that anyone else in the neighborhood had arisen from the lack of traffic and the newspapers in their plastic jackets awaiting soggily to be recovered and dried off. Is it possible that my half-dozen papers are being more carefully delivered since we gave Sam the delivery fellow a gift at Christmas? Too early in the year to be cynical.
I suppose the hour should have been spent in contemplation of what this fresh year portends, but my mind kept returning to the year behind us. AJ was no help, he just kept tugging at the leash reminding me that I had a designated driver last night and my thinking processes this morning were a little, shall we say, thick- headed. We welcomed the New Year with good friends and fine wine. But I digress.
I can't remember a time when I felt that I had less pre-cognition of what awaits us. So I just thought over what news stories dominated the headlines over the past 365 days. This did not worry our hound who had so many lampposts to engage, so many driveways to explore and birds to chase. (Not in any order of import or significance...Here's what came to mind).

Our President's national approval rating continued to fall. His standing in this country is obviously still better than it is in most other parts of the world. After 9/11 there was so much support for the US, but not for the war of Mr. Bush's choosing. Iraq is where "the war President" expected a cake-walk to Baghdad and beyond and a mission-accomplished, heroes welcome. We deserve better, surely, than W, Rummy, Dick, Carl, Condi and the gang.

Katrina, the hurricane, killed over 1,300 people and ravaged the Gulf Coast. The flooding submerged so much of The Big Easy. Then came Wilma and Rita to enlarge on the territory destroyed. They inflicted enormous and severe damage. Will New Orleans regain its population and stature?

Pope John Paul ll died ending his 26 year pontificate. And the Polish pope was replaced by the German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.

Oil became very expensive. It hit an all-time high in August. It is costing so much more to fill my tank. And the U.S. airline industry spent $9 billion dollars more on jet fuel this year gone by than it did in 2004.

Suicide bombings! In 2005 they ranged from the strikes at the London transit system and the dozens killed, to the continuing and bloody wave of attacks in Iraq. Our casualties mounted with the death toll surpassing 2,100 and the President estimated that 30,000 Iraqis had been killed in the conflict.

Near the Pakistan-India border there was the massive earthquake. 3 million were left homeless and something like 90,000 were killed.

Other names that made news ranged from the death of the brain-damaged Terri Schiavo, to the indictment of Lewis "Scooter" Libby (Cheney's chief of staff), to the two Supreme Court vacancies opened by Sandra Day O'Connor's retirement and the death of the Chief Justice William Rehnquist and so many more, but it was time to return home. AJ wanted me to light the fire so that he could contemplate where next he should leave muddy foot prints.

A final personal note. I hope to be able to respond to the e-mails and calls I've received since the broadcast on KNX, yesterday. I hosted a two hour program of some of the splendid guests who have joined me during the year gone by. Yes, I am hoping for a greater presence on the air in the near future. Your comments have been most flattering and encouraging. I hope you were able to tune in.

Now let's get on with 2006.