Rome... Rome... ROME!!!!

The following quotes were all taken from separate articles in today’s Wall Street Journal.

“President-elect Barack Obama and congressional Democrats are intensifying work on a stimulus plan that would dole out roughly a half-trillion dollars over two years on tax-rebate checks and an array of "green" projects from home weatherization to renewable energy.”

“Their focus is on passing a separate, half-trillion dollar stimulus program that Mr. Obama said Sunday would be the largest infrastructure program since the Eisenhower administration's construction of the interstate highway system.”

“The Marine Corps is on pace to expand its force by tens of thousands more than two years ahead of schedule, a rare bit of good news for a military stretched thin by the long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Large scale public works projects…

Increased military size…

Handing out money to the plebes…

“Ladies and Gentlemen! I give you, Six Degrees to the Roman Empire!!!”

Okay, so maybe I’m not being serious here. Maybe I'm just trying to fill the void in my life that HBO left when they decided to cancel "Rome" after two seasons due to production costs. But if I was being serious...

- Would Obama be granted a Triumph if he brought the troops home from Iraq? According to Wikipedia, these are the qualifications needed for one:

• Win a significant victory over a foreign enemy, killing at least 5,000 enemy troops, and earn the title imperator.
• Be an elected magistrate with the power of imperium, i.e. a dictator, consul, or a praetor.
• Bring the army home, signifying that the war was over and that the army was no longer needed. Of course this only applied to the Republican era when the army was a citizen army. By the imperial period, when the army was professional, the proper triumph was reserved for the emperor and his family. If a general was awarded a triumph by the emperor, he would march with a token number of his troops.
• In the Republican period, the senate had to give approval for a triumph based on the above mentioned requirements.

Assuming that being elected President covers whole “power of imperium” issue, I figure that the senate would be willing to wave the whole "kill 5,000 enemy troops” requirement (while he is in office) so long as Obama were to actually bring them home.

Side-note: If we actually had Triumphs, would Bush have brought the troops home months ago? Even if he did, would the Senate have given him the finger and denied him the honor of a Triumph?

- Would the UFC replace Celine Dion as main attraction at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace? If they matched up UFC fighters against convicted Terrorists would it be in violation of the Geneva Convention? Would watching this event on PPV make me a war criminal?

- Obama mentioned something a while back about creating a Civilian National Security Force. Would this be like the Praetorian Guard? Can Russell Crowe be part of this? “PRAETORIAN!!!”

Okay, enough of this. Time get get serious. Back to work…

-dunkie