Yellow Dog

Following a week in which the Republican Congress defeated Democratic proposals for withdrawal from Iraq comes this news that Baghdad has declared a state of emergency and that it's been one of the deadliest weeks for US troops, with 15 soldiers killed. Ironically, the media narrative has focused on how Democrats disagree on withdrawal plans, without pointing out that the party in power has no plan at all. Yep, the Republicans are unified all right--unified around their blind adherence to a failed plan to stay the course. They then have the audacity to accuse Democrats of wanting to "cut and run." That's better than their plan to "Stay and Pay" or "Lie and Let Die."

Deadly Week For U.S. Troops In Iraq, Army Announces 3 Casualties Bringing Weekly Count To 15 Dead Troops - CBS News

In Ron Suskind's book, The One Percent Doctrine, there are some rather frightening revelations about Bush's pre-9/11 incompetence:

Tenet [former CIA Director] and his loyalists also settle a few scores with the White House. The book's opening anecdote tells of an unnamed CIA briefer who flew to Bush's Texas ranch during the scary summer of 2001, amid a flurry of reports of a pending al-Qaeda attack, to call the president's attention personally to the now-famous Aug. 6, 2001, memo titled "Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in US." Bush reportedly heard the briefer out and replied: "All right. You've covered your ass, now."

Instead of just humoring the CIA briefer, it's really too bad that Bush couldn't have taken time away from his month-long vacation and work clearing brush to actually confront this danger and take seriously the CIA claims. Of course, if he had prevented 9/11, he couldn't use it as his favorite political wedge, could he?
The Shadow War, In a Surprising New Light

It's hard to believe that none other than Newt Gingrich suggested a new Democratic motto: "Had enough?" Senator Barack Obama of Illinois takes this suggestion and runs with it:

"I don't know about you, but I think old Newt is onto something here. Because I think we've all had enough. Enough of the broken promises. Enough of the failed leadership. Enough of the can't-do, won't-do, won't-even-try style of governance.

Four years after 9/11, I've had enough of being told that we can find the money to give Paris Hilton more tax cuts, but we can't find enough to protect our ports or our railroads or our chemical plants or our borders.

I've had enough of the closed-door deals that give billions to the HMOs when we're told that we can't do a thing for the 45 million uninsured or the millions more who can't pay their medical bills.

I've had enough of being told that we can't afford body armor for our troops and health care for our veterans and benefits for the wounded heroes who've risked their lives for this country. I've had enough of that.

I've had enough of giving billions away to the oil companies when we're told that we can't invest in the renewable energy that will create jobs and lower gas prices and finally free us from our dependence on the oil wells of Saudi Arabia.

I've had enough of our kids going to schools where the rats outnumber the computers. I've had enough of Katrina survivors living out of their cars and begging FEMA for trailers. And I've had enough of being told that all we can do about this is sit and wait and hope that the good fortune of a few trickles on down to everyone else in this country.

You know, we all remember that George Bush said in 2000 campaign that he was against nation-building. We just didn't know he was talking about this one."

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama: Take Back America | U.S. Senator Barack Obama

CNN.com - State Department's No. 2 resigns - Jun 19, 2006:

"[Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick] has been the administration's leading diplomat handling the volatile situation in Sudan's western Darfur region, where at least 180,000 have died since 2003. Zoellick has also been the State Department's chief diplomat dealing with China."

In part, the China dealings pertained to Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs. So, donning the ol' tinfoil hat, it seems to be interesting timing for Zoellick to bail out now, with North Korea in the process of fueling up to test missiles and Iran shrugging off "preconditions" to nuclear talks.