Our Long National Nightmare is Over

WASHINGTON (AFP) - French fries are back on the menu of cafeterias that cater to US lawmakers on Capital Hill, more than three years after they were replaced by "freedom fries" in anger over France's refusal to join the US-led war in Iraq.

It was a ridiculous over-reaction to the terrorist attacks, and a perceived slap at France, and I'll bet you that not one of the lawmakers that ordered them referred to them as freedom fries. Fries will do. Sometimes our lawmakers do things that they think will make them look good, but wind up being silly.

France is looking smarter every day.

Meanwhile, the Phillies are running ads spotlighting centerfielder Aaron Rowand, and calling him a "hero" because he chased a fly ball into a fence and broke his nose. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember a lot of hubbub that started around September 12, 2001 proclaiming that we shouldn't use the word hero loosley. They're athletes who play a sport for our entertainment. The real heroes, we were told, were the firefighters, police and emergency respondents, many of whom died the day before.

How soon we forget.