Surging Troops, Falling Numbers

Here we are, rapidly approaching that point at which we were to start seeing results from the so-called "surge" Dubya pushed so hard for early this year. What I want to know is this (well, I want to know a lot of things, but a project I am pursuing reminded me of this one): What happened to the troop drawdowns Rummy announced in the waning days of 2005?

These Versus Those

A tragic school shooting that results in 33 dead = Dear Leader arrives to said school to pontificate, I mean show his concern and compassion, within 48 hours.

Thousands die when a major US city is wiped off the map after a hurricane = Dear Leader stays on vacation for four days. (And P.S. there are Katrina victims who still haven't been identified!)

I'm Thinking NO

Could an atheist be elected to national office?

Come to think of it, are there currently any publicly "out" atheists or agnostics serving in Washington?

I had never asked before. I had assumed the answer would be no. It has always seemed to me that those politicians are sort of forced to talk about how great "God" is and how they go to church with family every Sunday and all of that horseshit although I've never understood WHY. Despite what they would have you believe, morality and religion are not interdependent.

Civil War

So NBC is calling the mess in Iraq a civil war, but the BBC is holding off. Colin Powell (prepping for a run at the White House?) says yes, but General Jack Keane, who developed the invasion plan, says not yet (but it's getting there).

Sadly, and many before me have said this same things, civil war may be necessary. Indeed, we got our nation through civil war. Let's be clear about one thing here: The only things that may remain of the Iraq that stood before the invasion are the name and the borders. This is not an improved Iraq; this is a new nation. New nations are not created by those in existence, they are created by people. Sadly, the people have little say right now in where things are going, and no elections are going to change that fact until the violence is stopped from inside.

Better Dead Than Red

Let the new meaning of that phrase sound across this land for ages as the heralds proclaim an end to the politics of private deals and public hatred.

Bush Takes Credit

Bush has taken credit for a lot of things since taking office (note I did not write "since being elected"), but after Tuesday's midterms he finally took credit for something good: helping create the environment that lost the House and the Senate for the red team. Heck, he even managed to be in office when an avowed Socialist (that's the other red team) took a seat in the senate. That's a neat trick.

Dickie Gets An F

Yep, it became official yesterday: Cheney gets an F, either for misunderstanding math or failing to read well enough to differentiate between (D) and (R).

The Math

Yeah, let's see if Rove passes the course after 36 more hours.

Clues:
Wednesday
All Things Considered
Arrogance