Ironically it is not the Senator's toe tapping environment, or even the pornographic pictures from Abu Ghraib, or the military general dejour who will point to progress and ask for more of our heirs and money, or a president who doesn't recall a bit of history or an intelligence report, or a secretary who plays classical music and speaks in mythical expressions as a way to curry favor for the foreign blood letting, or families of new power who will take money from any source and perform as required while always denying so, or military officers who no longer value the trust that comes with their commissions as they go to war or courtsmartial, or networks executives who allow lending or religious preditors an entrance medium - all done without a shred of regret or accountability, it is maybe that we have let ourselves go into the black hole from which even a Mother Teresa could not recover. We who are without a god haven't yet developed the courage to rely upon our souls. Yet!

British troops have pulled out of the southern regions of Iraq and are holding up in a fortress near an airfield for quick evacuation. The President holds his strategic conference in an isolated airfield in a region far from Baghdad secured by tribal alliances formerly of the opposition. It would appear that this war has developed trajectories that we are not watching. Our debate may be a distraction while we are losing control of the initiative which seems to have shifted to the Iranian allies.

Dear Joan:

They are drowning old white guys unless they stop being the bosses subordinates.

The nature of the President is such that unless overwhelmed by a broad revolt within the subordinated Republican Party, he will maintain a steady course until the end of his administration while seeking to place blame for his failure upon others and using whatever means necessary to transfer public rage for his failures upon Democrats or other citizens who might demand accountability.

Lives will be sacrificed, societies ruined and treasuries looted in the name of the Leviathan that he chases within his insular enclave.

It would be wise for the party leadership to pronounce his administration dead and commence caucus hearings under the guidance of the Republican National Committee (RNC) to plan for the reconstruction and reformation to come after the 2008 elections.

Use a strategy used so well by the Iraqis, let him proclaim victory but slowly walk him down the lane to capitulation. All the damage done can be identified and forums for reconstruction initiated. Just start that attitude among the members, now.

Start with their own milestones. Bring in the military to a caucus or hearings to restore principles for conduct of war and solicit their recommendation for force reconstruction. Do the same with diplomacy. Hold hearings on intelligence improvements. Keep peeling away at the president's follies now that he is without his rasputin

Treat the White House as death’s caretakers and stick to revival, restoration and reconnection.

It could act like a fire break against the impending public outrage.

Joan;

Think we all spend too much time on hammering a report by the General or the Ambassador. All they could do was give a perspective, no more. Theirs is limited to sections of Iraq and policy execution. Not complete even there. There are other perspectives of the President and Vice President that are more global or biased or distracting which we do not have and have not received. So the sparing among the members of congress and the Iraqi staff are parallel shears and do not address the Administration's Leviathan chase.

Timelines make sense when speaking on television - they don't when dealing with populations learned in 1001 Arabian Nights. A timeline is something for trade with the Iraqis - on their terms. It is a loser opener. This may not be popular in the Salon but if you go above and read my line on the President and VP, you will note they don't discuss their benchmarks. It would appear they might have learned a lesson in the spring of 2004 when they cut some Yalta deals with the Iraqis they can not now bear.

Pat may have something on this debate. We must follow an agenda without the note of timelines and do it on our own terms. We will also find that a General like Petraeus will be quite competent in executing it.

Dear Joan:

Early on Sunday morning August 19, after having read the moving Op-Ed piece by the seven airbourne soldiers including Omar Mora and Yance Gray, I had thru the Times forwarded it to Dave Petraeus. Here was his response received within a hour:

"Our troopers are, indeed, wonderful, Bill. Thanks for forwarding this. To echo the final line of these great troopers, as a committed soldier who has now spent nearly three years here in Iraq and has a son in Airborne School, I, too, will see this mission through. Best -- Dave Petraeus"

None of us from whatever service or from whatever rank across whatever war ever hold our companion soldiers or sailors in less than wonder and admiration.

And it grows with the increasing distance in time and space from the initial point of departure.

Please don't hold this in the bottom of the blog...it might be worth a MSNBC sound bite for all those in harm's way behalf.

Godspeed, Bill Keller