Let the debate begin. Seven and a half years late might be better than never.

Like much of the World, I'm trying to calibrate my reaction to President Obama's prime timer last night on the end of combat operations in Iraq.  And since what is blogging if not therapy writ wide open and unedited for everyone to go rooting around in, here's a few thoughts.  

Most importantly, it's about time we started debating what our 7+ years and $1Trillion+ in Iraq truly boils down to.  Or whether we're truly at long last on our way "home" from that War.  Every available metric paints a lousy current picture - the best rundown I've heard was on Harry Shearer's "Le Show" this weekend.  Save the only one that everyone in support of going to War still mentions straight up - no more Saddam Hussein.  Instead of getting stuck there, I'd suggest that we all should think back to the actual "debate" that came prior.  Take the ol' chestnut defined as the "Pottery Barn" rule attributed to then Secretary of State Colin Powell.  Supposedly, "if you break it, you own it."  Set aside the fact that no such rule exists at Pottery Barn and you're still left with us shattering that "rule" even beyond it's false meaning.  So here we are as combat troops are redeploying.  And over there?  We did, indeed, break it.  And now we do not actually own it.  Much worse, we had to pay for the cost of doing so.  Those that do now own it, I think, could be defined as exactly the sort of people we would have preferred not have possession after said breakage.  I believe that Nuri al Malaki, Ahmed Chalabi and the others still wrangling over the results of an election from six months ago don't care about democracy.  For them it's the spoils of victory that are still worth fighting over.  And thanks to the grand wisdom of Richard Perle (ooh, I just got a chill), Paul Wolfowitz and Donald Rumsfeld (to touch on just a few obvious raw nerves), that's who we've now got to work with in place of Saddam in Iraq.  So yes, now let's at long last have that enduring historical debate.  Oh, and we will.  For decades.

In terms of Obama's speech, I think he struck the tone that we should expect from him.  Elegiac.  Frustrating in its willingness to give up too much to the presumed opposition.  Painted deep deep into a policy corner.  For all his obvious intellect, I'd bet Barack plays crappy poker.  In the past I've claimed he's a chess man.  But it's more obvious - he's a baller.  Put up your best defense and he'll shoot right over the top of you.  He uses deception only insofar as a fake pass or the political equivalent.  No cheating and if he's bluffing about how strong he feels or where he's going, a smart opposing player will see it telegraphed.  Right now, Obama's legs are still strong.  And the opposition should be seen as a joke.  That, however, might be exactly the wrong lesson to take into halftime of this term.  These midterms are going to be almost as brutal as the prevailing momentum's forecasting, I think.  Calling this play right now is a baller move.  Because no one's on the lookout for a finesse game right now.   But it could show that the game Obama's playing isn't nearly as dominant as people thought just last season.  Enough with the basketball analogy.  It does, though, still constitute my assessment of where this speech and this policy choice fits into the larger picture for the Obama Administration.  They may truly be a one-term Presidency.

My only other comment right now is to say that no family that's had to endure a deployment wants to be told that we owe Dubya some credit now.  Or ever.  Hearing that revisionist crap tumble from the Bushies, John McCain, John Boehner and all the lesser chickenhawks is just salt in the wounds that aren't going away.  And there are lots of wounds out there.  A million and half military personnel have been deployed in Iraq.  The ballpark number I heard reported this weekend of post-action mental issues is 30% of those people.  So over 400,000 people would have something to say about the wisdom of giving Dubya credit for what he did to them.  'Nuff said about that.

Well, like I said - this debate is just starting.  I hope we all get a chance to let some of it out, while actually taking the time to listen across the divide.  Be well.

Helping the USO wash all the Kid Rock off of its reputation alone is reason to stand up and cheer...

There was a time when I thought Stephen Colbert's show wouldn't work. Too much of a high-wire act, too one-note, too focused on one personality. Boy, was I a chump. "The Colbert Report" has become one of the best written, most consistently surprising things in pop culture. Colbert is fearless and such a fascinating blend of character and vamp. And in case you've not heard because you were on an ice flow or buried under a pile of real life concerns, this week he's doing a series of USO shows in Baghdad that they're taping for broadcast during his standard slot. Last night was the first example of what they're doing. It's just plain stunningly good work. Colbert's poked the zeitgeist directly in the middle of the forehead in joking repeatedly how Iraq has so fully fallen off the radar that idiots might think it was all over over there. Far from it. Even if you don't watch the show, you need to. And if you're looking to donate charitably in a new direction, I fully admire his link with DonorsChoose.org. Well worth a few sheckles, if you can manage.

Hope your own overseas shows are also recorded in a palace today. Rock on.

And no shoes were chucked at this particular Commander in Chief

Obama's tour through Europe was fascinating. Political impasses, minor chaotic protests, a constantly fawning public, and blossoming bromances across the spectrum of leaders. Not so much with Angela Merkel. But after doing a star turn in Turkey that we can already point to as a game-changer (they will once again let our military use their airspace as a pipeline in and out of Iraq) Obama flew into Iraq through that airspace. It wasn't much of a surprise to most of the press corps. Still, great theatre.

One quickie review - "Adventureland" is a bit over-rated. Great nostalgia for those of us that came of age in the late 80s. Great soundtrack, with both Husker Du and The Replacements in the mix. Jessie Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart are big stars in the making. Ryan Reynolds is lovable as always, even while playing a cad. But the middle was too muddled. My rating - B-minus.

Maya's on the leading edge of a two-week Passover break. So let the endless playdate scheduling begin! I'm sure by the end of next week we'll all be ready to get back to business. For now, it's fun though. Especially since Seattle's enjoying a serious dose of Springtime weather.

Hope your own windows are open and your juiceboxes are chillin'. Rock on.

"But when I say a 'size 10', I just want you to know I wear a 12, heh heh..."

I'm not sure how many dozen times I've seen the clip of Dubya getting shoes chucked at him yesterday. But it ain't going away any time soon. Right after it happened, I thought it was shocking and hilarious. Now, given Dubya's attempt to spin it so clumsily I'm convinced it is an incident that will live on along with the worst of the worst gag reel for this era. The fact that Dubya tried to joke initially is the strongest indication of how little he understands about the Middle East. Anyone who's read a newspaper since Baghdad fell in 2003 (remember that Saddam statue?) knows that being hit with a shoe or even just being taunted with the sole of a shoe is like flipping someone the bird while taunting yo' momma's past work as a prostitute. Why are the Arab media and cities throughout the region so all over this story? Because even a blind street urchin knows what an insult this was to have thrust fully into a final stupid photo op for Dubya. To try to make it into a non-issue by way of dismissal...well, that worse than turning around a whipping a cowboy boot back from the podium.

Speaking of street urchins - we saw "Slumdog Millionaire" last night. A small gem of a film that receives a very high recommendation. My rating - an A-minus. Romantic, uplifting, sad and beautifully shot. My only question leaving the theatre is whether Regis Philbin has seen it yet. If you've done so, you might get my drift. Hint - the Indian Regis portrayal maybe says something about both characters.

Another quickie review for folks here in Seattle. After the movie, Sarah and I had a delicious date dinner at Cafe` Spinasse on Capitol Hill. Their pasta is masterful. Everything else we tried we'd try again. By far the best Italian food I've ever had in Seattle. My rating - a B-plus with a few caveats. First of all, I want to go back and try more. Second, it's pretty spendy. But for a special meal, it's worth every nickel.

Seattle's frozen somewhat solid after getting a few inches of snow and much lower than normal temps over the weekend. The pipes at Maya's daycare froze this morning. All we heard at holiday parties over the weekend was plans to head to warmer climates soon. My reaction? Eh. Maya and I head to Wisconsin this weekend where daytime high temps appear to be hovering around zero. Makes 30 degrees and crystal clear sound like t-shirt weather, doncha know.

Hope your own aim on that second shoe is a bit better this time around. Rock on.

"Frontline" presents a masterful draft of History

Ah, history. PBS gave us all a hearty taste of it over the last two nights (viewable in its entirety online). "Bush's War" is a two-part documentary that is absolutely chilling. It represents a singular achievement that is the best journalism I've seen in any medium in years and years. There are so many worthy take-aways (Condi Rice had no experience, Tommy Franks smokes two packs a day in between drinking 15 cups of coffee, Donald Rumsfeld is utterly evil, Richardo Sanchez was the most junior Three-Star General in the Army when he got promoted to run the whole show, yada yada yada). But seeing Jerry Bremer seethe and stumble through his answers to the toughest questions is just plain stunning insight. This is the story of a generation. Of nincompoops. I've been a fan of the long form style of "Frontline" for years. But they have never been better or more relevant. Watch it. Tell everyone you know about it. You're welcome.

Oh, and the most entertaining found video clip of the new Millenium. Watch this, as well. For entirely different reasons.



Hope your own Peabody Award is also inevitably in the offing today. Rock on.

Anniversary, saddamiversary - let's call the whole thing off.

Every time our lethargic nation chooses to pay attention to Iraq, we're told to believe that a turning point is at hand. The 5th Anniversary of the invasion and the bleak milestone of 4000 dead American soldiers are only the most recent examples of trying to change the flavor of the moment with a turn or two of phrase. But in trying to recollect a now cloudy thought of my own just a few moments ago - the argument that the invasion needed to happen in March before the weather turned decidedly toward summer and the temperatures escalated for our troops in their chemical suits - I came across a lost gem. Via the White House website, no less. If you love punishing post mortems, I highly recommend a quick read. If you want the nugget and can do without the waste, Condi Rice falsely argued in late January of 2003 that the Prezidunt had the justification to do the U.N.'s bidding and forcefully disarm Saddam. She closed by saying that Iraq should know that "time is running out." Yet, here we are, over 5 years later, being told to expect that troop levels through the end of Dubya's reign will remain basically the same. While the fractured Mahdi Army and associated Shiite allies conduct an obvious offensive. As the weather heats up. And basic services are at a worse level than before the invasion. And our nation looks at the daily drumbeat of bad economic newsiness with a sense of not knowing what's next. Hell, even Seattle is finally seeing a depreciation of housing valuation for the first time since 1991. I hate to get all canary in the coalmine about this whole fandango. But wake up, America. Today may not be a Tet Offensive. But the stretched parallels to that sleepy late January lunar New Year are awkwardly hard to deny, at best. Scary as hell, at worst.

Hope your own discovered past speeches only feature lame Beavis and Butthead jokes today. Rock on.

Obama's timing couldn't draw a stronger contrast if he delivered "The Speech" with a "Mission Accomplished" banner behind him

Barack Obama delivered his finest speech this morning in Philadelphia. Which is saying a helluva lot, given how many other fine speeches he is credited with delivering in the past. This time he was attempting to quell a storm - the opportunistic tempest stirred up by endless replays of his former Pastor Jeremiah Wright's bombastic sermons over the last few news cycles. In due course, Obama took on race, history, religion and his truly unique ancestry when compared with a typical candidate for any elected office in this Nation (much less the highest in the Land). He did so with characteristic flair, nonetheless weaving in some digs at Hillary and policy positions on education, health care, foreign policy and our image abroad. I've made no secret of my support for him. I will now go a step further. This candidate has the power to change everything. Obama just keeps getting stronger in front of history's caustic glare. I expect he just won over a ton of those wavering in the past few weeks. If he doesn't win the Presidency, I will quit blogging. Which I'm sure would please more than a few of those aimlessly antagonistic readers. But I'll throw down the challenge, nonetheless.

What if you started a War based on lies, had no plan for how to get out, spent trillions of dollars, killed nearly 4000 volunteer soldiers, and fiddled away the same old tune while the economy melted down 5 years later? Any rational student of history would conclude that you'd be pretty well screwed. So on this dubious anniversary, as the Fed throws everything and the kitchen sink into the chasm that is rapidly opening beneath the feet of so many Americans, I'd like to remind Dubya of his oft-repeated phrasing. "History will decide." Yup, for once we agree.

Hope your own anniversaries relate to the good things in life today. Rock on.

Dubya's priorities...

Pakistan should be front and center on everyone's plate today. But we live in a silly time and place, so tiger attacks and year-end lists top the slate for many. I'll return to the point and offer a few quick thoughts on yesterday's tragic assassination of Benazir Bhutto. First of all, I was shocked to wake up early yesterday morning (aided by Maya's demands just after 5am to get the day started), turn on CNN and NPR @ 5:10...and soon learn that I had been briefed approximately 20 minutes before Dubya. What does the leader of the Free World watch @ 7:30am on his "ranch"? My bet is well-worn SpongeBob SquarePants DVDs. Snark aside, I have a theory about this whole mess. The Musharraf government is telling the truth. It was al-Qaeda that orchestrated the plot. Conspiracy theorists are playing off the worst fears of Pakistanis - Musharraf had Bhutto whacked. That's easy to ignite in the public imagination since the population of Pakistan is largely illiterate and given the recent crackdown on the formerly independent media, sourced only by state-controlled or compliant lackies. But I suggest you think about it through this prism for a moment - kill the opposition leader supported by the Americans and you accomplish two things. 1) Cause anarchy. 2) Ruin both the hopes of the Bushies to calm Pakistan and undermine any future claim of Musharraf's legitimacy. I'm sad to say that I believe we've once again been gamed by the "terrorists" our leaders have spent so many lives and so much treasure to demonize. In one fell swoop, we've once again lost a country that we supposedly bought at the Pottery Barn years ago.

The last hypocrisy that I can mention today is just now percolating over the wires. Dubya has threatened through surrogates to veto the Pentagon funding bill for this fiscal year over a convoluted rationale that I strongly believe he and his minions will regret almost immediately. In a nutshell, language in the bill allows victims of Saddam Hussein's rein to seek compensation from the current Iraqi government. How we have jurisdiction over this, I have no freakin' idea. Somehow, the current Iraqi government turned the screws on the Bushies to set up this fight. As a result, Dubya has thrown his Executive Branch veto power down as the gauntlet once again. One question to all those Congressional Staffers that I know hang on my every word - can you please plan to split this ripe melon wide open given the changes in Pakistan and omnibus domestic appropriations compromises to justify full hearings on all aspects of this massive Defense bill? Fact check - as best as I can glean, the Defense bill amounts to $459Billion, and the ominbus domestic/debt-servicing/Medicare/Medicaid/SSI bill was tagged at $555Billion. Which do you think deserves a closer looksie? Maybe Dubya did us all a favor on this flub.

Hope your own budgets are signed, sealed and delivered today. Rock on.

Depart Off Failure

So there you have it America. Dubya calls the pre-ordained troop rotations a "Return On Success." As Thomas Ricks pointed out last night for the Washington Post - it sounds like a Merrill Lynch ad. A bad one, I'll add. If Dubya was worth more parsing, I'd get my panties all in a bunch and do so. But I've got a different point to make.

Iraq is doomed. Other nations in modern history have dissembled into decades of civil war given a horrifying minority acting off of a majority opinion of dissatisfaction. But this one's a totally new level of screw-up. And as the instigating Nation, everyone back here in the US of A is tarnished. The anemic anti-war movement inspires less people than those hepped on the new Fall TV schedule. The fraudulent pro-war movement are the same genetic strain of hooligans that enjoyed the gladitory events at the Colliseum before the fall of Rome. And people like me that have been against this sort of folly since 9/11 are just as screwed as the lot of us. No wonder Britney Spears drunkenly hogging the spotlight @ the MTV VMAs is so much, much more fun. Here's my point - we need to get mad. Intelligently mad. The Surge is a failure. The Extension of the Surge meant to "Return On Success" is a fraud. People need to rise up, march in the Streets and clog up the business of Government. Our Nation can't take this extension without suffering the ultimate loss. That of the Nation itself. I got in trouble with a group of beloved friends a year ago saying that we are a more divided Nation than at any time in our history, even though we don't realize it yet. I won't claim prescience. But that's what it increasingly feels like. We can't settle this Iraqi civil war even though we caused it. We must stop. One more dead American is far, far too many. And that's all I've got to say about that.

Hope your own riffs lead to something more today. Rock on.

Next question: "Why do you call our people 'troopers' not 'troops'? Just wondering..."

House Minority Leader John "Not Boner" Boehner (R-OH) will never be accused of being well-timed in making outrageous statements. But his latest assessment of our losses in Iraq as "a small price" is as far as I've seen a foot go into a mouth in quite some time. If he gets away with saying this and not needing to apologize, we're all asleep at the switch.



Dubya speaks down to the Nation tonight. We all know what's coming. My only question is whether there will be any reference to the leading provincial Sunni Sheik blown to smithereens today, just 10 days after meeting with Dubya on the American base in Anbar Province. I expect he'll need to make this latest casualty into the latest psuedo-inspiring figure. How sad. I just hope some of the media availability of General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker that has been so pronounced these last few days will continue today so that somebody gets to ask the question - "How can you hold up Anbar as such a success when one of new allies was just assassinated?" Please, somebody ask that question.

Hope your own calm is anything but relative today. Rock on.

Welcome, yet again, to The Suck

Six years. Six long, horribly depressing years of Dubya's misadventures since the attacks of 9/11. How are we as a Nation celebrating it? By largely ignoring the compelling hearing of General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. How surreal. Osama Bin Laden is being reduced to a footnote by the dwindling neoconpoops while Petraeus tries to make 32 dead American soldiers since the start of September sound like progress. I see where this whole "report" charade is headed, as do most Americans. We ain't going nowhere. Our troops aren't coming home. The daily reports of death and maiming will be forced further and further out of the spotlight. The largely forgettable movie "Jarhead" introduced to the lexicon the unwieldy cliche` "Welcome to The Suck." Well, each passing day of this quagmire makes me rethink the wisdom of that soldier's prescient phrasing. We, my fellow citizens, appear to be stuck in this version of The Suck for some time to come. Now that REALLY sucks.

To all those that have lost in this era of American shame, I send my heartfelt regrets. For those that think victory is at hand, I pull back the civility and say that I fear you. Not because I'm afraid of you. Just that I don't understand how much loss and shame you will need to satisfy the bloodlust that seems to have arisen from you ever since that terrible day a mere six years ago. Hope for the future. Rock on.

But I'd bet he could still block a few of Rick Rossovich's spikes these days...

There's nothing more depressing than seeing into the frat house basement of Dubya's brain. Yet Robert Draper's book "Dead Certain" that plunges us all down that deep, dark stairwell arrives on the scene today. I guarantee y'all that it's being almost immediately added to my loyal Bushie bashing canon of reality-based books on the shelf in my new office. For the time being, throw up in your own mouths just a bit by reading the excerpts featuring today on Slate after a weekend worth of major paper foreshadowing. My fave thus far - Dubya riffing that he "understands the enemy watches me, the Iraqis are watching me, the troops watch me, and the people watch me." Yes, we do. And what a sight you are to behold.

As to the flyby PR stunt that was Dubya's visit to Iraq yesterday, I'll give the spectacle a middling C-minus rating. We all know the pushback from the Petraeus pseudo-report was due to start early. This just smells like a huge waste of cash and newsprint. If Dubya wanted to impress the troops at this point in the debacle I think he'd need to stage a beach volleyball showdown a la "Top Gun" with a greased up Goose as he showed Ice Man how good he looks out of his flight suit. Speaking of which, Dubya showed up wearing black on a sweltering afternoon in the desert. Do you trust this man's judgment?

And to complete the Iraq trifecta of observations for the day, Tom Davis (R-VA) is my official weathervane in this entire debate of just how we figure out the way to subtly cut and run away like banshees. For those paying WAY too much attention, Sen. John Warner announced on Friday his intention to not seek re-election. Everyone expects Tom Davis, who is a snotty little neocon if there ever was one in the House, to run for the GOP nomination. Well, lookie lookie - Tom Davis is calling for an exit strategy just prior to the Bushies pushing for a stay the course policy. September is gonna get girls gone wild nasty on this debate. Tom Davis is the first one to take his shirt off. Whatever that mixed metaphor means. Just keep an eye on him. Or let me do so, and check back.

Hope your own low-fat chef-prepared lunch menus will NEVER lead you to choose the hot dog. Rock on.

"Attention: Representative Whatshisface likes the BeeGees and once smoked a clove with a dwarf in Prague. YOU WERE WARNED."

Tough Friday news dump for the GOP. White House Press Secretary Tony Snow's resigning, Sen. Larry Craig is hanging on by a thread lit from both ends, Sen. John Warner's out of the race for his guaranteed re-election in '08, and it's not even the close of bizness on the East Coast. I hope someone's told Dubya his Party's ending while he clears brush or plans for Jenna's nups or whatever is on top of his agenda in Crawford. But if I held the briefing book, here are two oddballs I'd throw into the mix.

I'm currently shaped much more like my linebacker days, but I was also a competitive runner. Mitt Romney's no competitive runner. His new ad has more heavy breathing and odd pacing than geriatric porn. Watch it if you've over 21. Or rather, don't. He's such a fraud we shouldn't encourage further virility spoofs on his part.


The WashingtonPost today buried a little gem from the Green Zone in Baghdad that I'm sure will lead to a much larger story on the spin we'll be seeing over the next few months. Obviously, soldiers are being given bios of visiting Congresspersons to shade the stories told. Or maybe this is just part of a grander plan to encourage spitting in the food of certain dignitaries. It's a brief story, but so so damn worth reading. September will be a cloudy shitestorm of empty debate wrapped in a monstrous styrofoam layer of inpenatrable lies covered in truth-retardant goo. Just like Catholic school. Hey, don't blame me - I was raised a Methodist.

Hope your Labor Day weekend is heavy on the weekend, light on the labor. Rock on.

The grill awaits, yet I'm still here...

I'm way off my usual game. New house distractions abound. And for those that have voiced discontent in my intermittent posting, I agree. I am losing focus. So before I put together our new grill (!!!), I want to weigh in on a few issues...

Dubya's speech to the VFW this week was without overstatement THE BIGGEST TRAVESTY IN THE HISTORY OF REVISIONISM. As the most famous draft dodger in the history of our Nation, you'd think he'd shy away from trying to tell us what we all missed in that debacle. In all honesty, I've been so pissed about his speech that I've purposely not posted anything the last few days. So at least he's got that going for him.

Robert Murray (the disgraceful coal baron that has had more underserved media exposure than a boatload of Paris Hiltons) is about to be served up like a retreat-mined turkey. This guy had me mad at "hello". And as soon as you can say "heckuva job, Brownie" the recess appointment of Richard Stickler is looking like yet another moment where all Americans should be shaking not only their heads in reaction to what the loyal Bushies are doing to phuck with everything before their last 17 months in power are left to History to deride. Speaking of which, it's now legal to blow up mountains in Appallacia and let the crap rain down on the rivers. Woo-whee!

Michael Vick should hereafter be doomed to starring in "The Longest Yard" sequels. He'll have time enough to do a bundle.

For those looking for reviews, here's a few quickies. "The Simpsons" was hilarious, but at best a solid B. "Mad Men" is far and away the best new show on the TeeVee (solid A rating). The Milwaukee Brewers are lovable but should be almost unassailably doomed were it not for the collective crappiness of the Cubs and Cards. Barack Obama is becoming the shallowest man in politics (although I still support him). The newly downsized NYTimes is too small for me to read comfortably on an elliptical trainer at the gym, so it sucks. And even though the American real estate market is more phucked than Lindsay Lohan's insurability, we love our new home. Hope y'all can visit sometime soon, if you call ahead and get a cavity search. Rock on.

After days of silence, this is all I come up with?

Did you forget to mark your calendars like me? The Surge is over. So we've won and now everyone can come home from Iraq. Right?

Hope your own troop movements aren't similarly broadcast today. Rock on.

"Since I know Sweeps Month's almost over, I thought y'all might want some suggestions for what the kids should watch this summer."

Dubya's press conference this morning was both stunning and utterly the same ol' story. He's losing it. Or really lost it ages ago and now we're just seeing echoes. Expect endless parsing of his ranting non sequiters. And, more interestingly, his bizarre, threatening folksiness. A couple for your consideration - he told two reporters (NBC's David Gregory and the NYTimes' Jim Rutenberg) that al Qaeda are a "threat to your kids." Plus, he called the 9/11 hijackers "19 kids" that killed 3000 Americans. Just to call bullshite on that "19 kids" chestnut - Mohammed Atta was 33. One of the others on that flight was 38. You may think I'm fixated on a tiny, absurd statement from a man who strings together almost nothing but the same. But I see this as an essential insight into how Dubya thinks.

Hope your own kids don't get a healthy dose of fear served up in their direction today. Rock on.

Sucks to be a Monica

Couple quick hard bankable shots for your consideration. Sorry to have been incommunacado for a few days.

I've not been watching Monica Goodling's testimony before the House Judiciary Committee. But I'll catch up so you don't have to. The very most I can say thus far is that she's sure got purdy hair. As far as either the Constitution or her worthiness for the job she ran into the ground go, she makes me throw up in my own mouth a little. Once again the defense of yet another loyal Bushie for anything they've ever done directly is that they didn't actually do it. She'll get another job, probably immediately, for some soulless, misogynistic law firm that just wants to brag about hiring the latest Fawn Hall. Personally, sexy testimony ain't been the same since Valerie Plame sauntered into and out of the spotlight. But as far as the blowjob from this Monica goes - we all could do so, so much better.

So the Dems in Congress appear to have blinked. John Edwards benefits the most from their retreat on an Iraq withdrawl timeline - say what you surely will about that guy, but he's got the best political instincts I see walkin' and talkin' these days. Oh, and Hillary suffers the most. Everyone else just takes a high hard one to the karmic temple with the eventual, devolving result of funding this disaster without principle.

Speaking of karma - is anyone even paying attention to the fact that our military just announced another 9 combat deaths? In one day. That's at least 80 this month, following 104 last month. Sorry to mention it. It's just, ya know, the truth.

On much more interesting ground, Maya's cranking along really well as we head into the summer. Uncle Jake and Aunt Sarah were just here for a visit during which we took Maya too among other Seattle events the Norwegian Constitution Day Parade (May 17th, or "Syttende Mai" as they call it here in Ballard). On the way to which, by the way, we found our latest lost camera (in the glove compartment - I didn't realize Maya had a key). Jake gets the inadvertent credit. You'll soon get the benefit from an array of new shots. I get to change my lost/broken lifetime digital camera total back to two. So we all win.

Hope your own Constitutions are fully ratified today. Rock on.

My bet - Cheney had Anna Nicole Smith whacked

While the entire chattering universe fixates on which pic of Anna Nicole Smith to use attached to the snarky eulogy, a Pentagon report is emerging that slays Douglas Feith and Rummy's intelligence shop. What does the report say? Only that the Iraq/Al Qaeda link was bullshite, and everyone who should know certainly knew it. But when you've got THE dead ex-stripper to end all dead ex-strippers to blather about...who cares about a War begun on false pretenses, right?

Hope you own hotel rooms are free of baggable evidence today. Rock on.

Operation When Will This End

Those that have been paying attention won't need to be reminded that as of today we've lost 5 helicopters in Iraq in the last 3 weeks. The first 4 were shot down, even though the military hated to admit it. This latest tragic downing carried 7 now lost Americans. Reports say it was shot down, too. Read about it - we all should be aware of how bad that mess is becoming. Personally, I've had trouble getting up the gumption to post anything regarding this debacle as of late. Bad news getting worse, day after day, is awfully hard to joke about. So when is enough truly enough? Dubya's "surge" is on display in these losses. And everyone says it will only worsen before it becomes less worse. Not better, but different. Oy. We need to invent a new category of screw-up to truly gauge what we're starting to tally herein.

Hope your own categories are expansive today. Rock on.

And on my mark...set your watches for withdrawal countdown...now

Holy moly - I've read few more immediately compelling recaps than that just posted on the NYTimes describing today's Senate Judiciary Committee. Expect. Massive. Conflict. The Dems plus Specter are going to put an end date on funding for Iraq six months out. Everyone crapped in their pants, apparently. Gather your thoughts after you read the recap.

Hope your own testimony isn't derailed by protesters today. Rock on.