Happy Monday. Back from my mental vacation. Even took most of Monday off.

Sometime this week I am going to come up with a few personal lists, such as top-10 events of 2009 or of the decade and some less personal, more opinion-based once, such as top-10 sporting events of something like that. Should be interesting to think about.

Today, however, I just wanted to touch on something that has taken off here in the beltway. Assuming you've heard of the Christmas day incident at Detroit Wayne County Airport, and the subsequent scare on the following day, that happened to be on the exact same flight.

First, president Obama was attacked by the GOP for his response to the second incident, which was to listen to his briefing, assess that this was not an issue to be handled by a president, and continue with his golf game.

It was a guy that had to use the bathroom a few too many times. The president cannot convene the joint chiefs every time a plane has an emergency landing. That isn't his job and it is an overreaction that would create a media circus -- to the benefit of actual terrorists. So, praise to the president on that accurate response.

Second is the broader reaction, yes of the GOP, to the way the president has handled this situation as a whole. Let me make clear that I am not naive about politics. They are partisan. That much is obvious. And yes, the two sides disagree often, even on how to protect the country. More recently, especially on how to protect the country. See the closing of Gitmo and the Sept. 11th trials in New York City.

However, and I very much believe this, there is no president that deliberately thinks, "I am not going to do everything in my power to protect the country." If he was awful at everything else, even George W. Bush thought that. Which is why partisan politics in this situation are absolutely ridiculous. A president just cannot be criticized for not caring about the security of this country.

So, naturally, that is what is happening. That is a pretty good breakdown of what is going on, with a particularly enlightening quote:

But other Democrats say the GOP’s yuletide political offensive could backfire on Republicans, putting the spotlight on the party’s own less-than-spotless record on homeland security.

Exhibit A: DeMint’s controversial “hold” on Obama’s choice to lead the Transportation Safety Administration, Erroll Southers, which has left the agency leaderless during a critical period of reappraisal and potential reorganization.

“Considering that this group has been playing politics with the TSA for months, their new-found concern about safety seems a bit contrived,” said Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), who acknowledged “legitimate beefs” about lapses leading up to the Christmas Day bombing attempt.

The point here is that no politician is necessarily at fault. It's their job to fix it.

Sorry, got ahead of myself there. This is Washington.

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To some links:

Being gay is not necessarily the handicap for political candidates as it is for couples.

Since New York City began using a reliable counting system for homicide, in 1963, no year has seen as few murders as 2009. What makes this so astonishing is that violence tends to rise during high unemployment.

A few Senators are asking the White House to stop pushing cap and trade.

College costs rise, but the opportunity to get financial help dwindles.

And some info on what the 2011 redistricting will look like. Washington state stands to gain a seat.