Senator Sessions Embarrasses The United States
Although we were assured of a Lucullan dinner tonight, Max, perhaps the most patriotic neighbor we have, was pretty worked up tonight. As we waited for the whole gang to show up, Schuyler began serving a cocktail that was new to us, a RAC, named after the Royal Automobile Club. He made them with Sapphire Gin and both white and red Martini & Rossi vermouth.

After everybody arrived, Max realized that actually all of us were upset about the same unforgivable give-and-take that occurred on the Senate floor last week. Jim Sessions, the Senator from Alabama, finished wiping the nose of the United States in the pig slop that George Bush began shortly after he was first elected.

To say that we all felt extraordinary disgust, contumacy, nausea, at the events that took place on the Senate floor, doesn't pay justice to how we really felt. It was one of the ladies who really expressed it best. Jane said that if she had the power to do so, she would do as they do in many other countries, and tie piano wire tightly around the family jewels of Jeff Sessions, the unholy prez and all his minions, and send them off to some god-forsaken equivalent to Devil's Island. Not that far from home, she said, we could ship them off to Mexico's infamous Islas Marías (and let the piano wire work its magic.)

Courageous, Prinicipled Republicans
Finally, republicans have had the gumption to stand up to that absolutely not christian thing that passes for president of the United States. Though we delight in labeling Dubya the dimmest light on the porch, the guy isn't totally stupid, and he does, since he's so anal, micro-manage. He lives in a vacuum, but not inside his Offal Office: there, he's more than 100% aware of what all his nasty underlings are up to. Everything wrong that has occurred since he usurped the presidency from Al Gore, can be traced to his venal desk. Ergo, the torture and abuse occurring at Guantánamo, Abu Ghraib and Afghanistan, undisputedly began at his behest. His horrendously slimy chum Rumsfeld gleefully approved, and the barbaric Azteco-american Alberto Gonzales put the orders allowing torture in writing. Basically, Gonzales allowed Dubya to proceed on the basis that humane treatment of detainees was now "rendered quaint."

Rendered Quaint
Well, three principled Americans who do not believe the Geneva Convention has been rendered quaint are Senator John McCain, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Virginia Senator John Warner. 90 other members of the Senate are also backing these three valiant senators in their effort to restore some semblance of civilized behavior to the United States. Too unappetizing for even the hungriest of vultures to want to munch on, putrescent Senator from Alabama, Jeff Sessions, slithered his way through proceedings on the floor of the senate, intent only on dragging what is left of the honor of this country through the slop that passes for Dubya's foreign policy and Gonzales' policy of torture and abuse.

None of us, Bob said, had ever seen such a pythogenic display of obscenely unpatriotic behavior. Stupidity, and imbecilic behavior also entered into the behavior of this slithery Sessions guy. To attack John McCain, who endured five years of unimaginable hell, was about filthiest discourse any of us had ever witnessed. And when the imbecile Sessions said, and we quote this verbatim: "Captain Fishback said he had seen at least one interrogation where prisoners were being abused. Now I don't know what abused means. I'm a former prosecutor. What does 'abused' mean?.......Ill treatment, now what is that?"

Jim Sessions, Slimy, Sadistic Imbecile
What an unforgivable offense directed at John McCain, who better than most Americans knows what torture, abuse and ill treatment mean. The exchange was utterly revolting Judy said, and made her feel that people like the imbecile, abusive Sessions was making this country putridly filthy. Judy finished by saying that the last straw was when this totally despicable man said: "But I think those in this Senate who have accused the up and down members of the chain of command of the United States Army, the United States Marines, the Department of Defense of being - promoting policies to abuse prisoners, they ought to think about whether they should apologize." Yeah, she said, like apologize to Bush and his demonic minions for forcing this country to behave like our worst Third World dictatorships?

The Teenagers Announce Dinner
Thinking that a nice dinner might help us forget our revulsion for an hour, we rushed in to dinner, the teenagers at their table in the great room, and we in the large, separate dining room. Several of our families helped put dinner together tonight, so no one family had to do all the work, as when Charlotte or Carmen are in charge of dinner, but they like to work alone and do all the planning. The rest of us like the cooperative approach.

As soon as we were seated, Bob and Judy served us White Anchovy and Egg Salad Crostini. They paired the crostini with a Dry Creek '03 Chenin Blanc.
Following the delectable crostini, Alex served us an amazing French Onion Soup, which paired with a Russian River Valley Dutton Ranch '02 Pinot Noir. Instead of a warm fish course, the couples thought they'd pitch in and make a Scallop and Asparagus Salad, which with the Monini extra-virgin olive oil they used, became a truly delicious salad, especially when paired with a 2004 Ferrari-Carano Fumé Blanc (Sauvignon Blanc.) Barry and Kim felt like preparing a dish they used to have back in their home in Israel, so they prepared Braised Lamb Shoulder made with a good Pinot Grigio, rosemary, thyme, marjoram and sage. From Australia, they chose a Lindemans Bin 50 2004 Shiraz, and as they say, it was marriage made in, well, Ambrosia land.

Dessert With the Younger Set
Delighted to find our teenagers were getting good lessons in civics and government at their various schools, we felt good about having our after-dinner espresso back in the great room with them, since we could engage them to a certain extent in the same subject we had been talking about tonight. Knowing most of them had homework to do, we sipped our coffee quickly and disbanded for the evening, but not before thanking Max for always making us such good after-dinner coffees from his "secret" blends.

Summary:
Apologist for Dubya's despicable approval of torture and other sadistic behavior, Senator Jeff Sessions insulted John McCain and besmirched our country even further.