Apparently, we are an impatient people. We want it all, and we want it now.

And this, of course, is why Iraq isn't going so well. Well, that and all those foreigners who are meddling with Iraq (hey, aren't we foreigners in Iraq?). Everyone's just got to give us time to implement our plan.

And the recovery in New Orleans, everyone is just way to quick to say we're failing in that area. Give us time. We've got a plan, and you just have to give us time. And, probably, some more money.

And the prescription drug plan for seniors that gives billions away to big pharma, but really doesn't change or help many more seniors with their drugs than before. You gotta give it time to work. Really, if we just keep paying the pharmaceutical companies money, everything will work out fine.

Time, time, I said, time. Hey, it worked for Bilbo.

Have we hit the point where productivity cannot be boosted anymore by new technology? Have we realized that there is really no benefit to doing everything at the speed of light? Are we all wanting to go back to that lovely time when life was a little bit slower. Y'know, like the 90s?

Running a close second to "I'm sorry, I'm going into rehab" is this new idea: we need time to implement our plan. Whatever plan it is. It's not going to work overnight. It might not even work in the time it takes most people to get through high school. As a matter of fact, it might not ever work, but we'll never know if you don't give us enough time to see if it will.

I understand time. Needing time. Giving time. Having time. Sometimes, because I have a little more time on my hands than others, it feels like no one else is moving at all. I try to calm down and fill up the time as best I can.

Now that things aren't going so well with everyone's plans, they want more time to make their plans work.

This whole time debate really started, lately, with the surge idea of the Prez's. He had promised to work with the new congress, but there wasn't much thought of actually doing that (truthfully, neither side really wants to work with the other). So with a slight conciliatory tone, he complains that his plans haven't been given a fair shake, that, in fact, more time is needed.

More time for a war sold to the country as quick, easy and the cure to all our cancers.

The administration (many of whom are gone now) has been wrong on pretty much everything. And they want more time to make sure they're wrong about completely everything.

Part of me wants to give them the time. They've got it anyway (two more years or so). Part of me wants to watch the complete failure happen. But the deal is this: it won't be over when someone else gets elected. They will never say they failed. And, besides, it's everyone else's fault that their great plans never worked. So, when their time is over, what do we do then?

So everyone else has taken this plea "talking point" of asking for more time to heart. Kind of like a lot of the other "talking points" I saw being implemented by various people, companies and organizations in the last six years. Oil, car and drug companies, state and local governments, and anyone else who feels the pressure coming up on them. They all need more time.

Last night the rocking got started a little late because no one wanted to go on first. So we all played short sets to make up the time. We didn't ask for more time. There wasn't any more time. We played what we could, as best we could at the time and called it a night.

Everyone else wants more time? Well, guess what? Time's up.

Matt Worley doesn't own a watch.