So the Douchebag of Liberty blames Jon Stewart for costing him the money he made on Crossfire? Great. I recently watched Stewart's appearance again and took note of how fearless he was on that show. (Like Colbert at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.) It's also interesting to note how the studio audience is on Stewart's side - something CNN must have noticed. Although Glen Beck isn't an improvement - watched about ten minutes of that and never returned.

What a creepy old conservative hack.

I can't help but assume that Murdoch plans to run WSJ much in the way he's run Fox News. I haven't forgotten the Pew Research study showing that the largest number of misinformed respondents on the subject of Iraq was among the Fox News audience. My suspicion is that Murdoch plans to use the WSJ as a vehicle to boost investor confidence in China. Just remember all of the people who were largly misinformed on Iraq.

If Bergman and Antonioni had not died so close together, would this dicussion be taking place? I'll at least weigh in with a nod to Antonioni due to the pointlessness of this exercize feeding some intrinsic American need to turn everything into a contest.

How about a discussion on arthouse and indie? I would rather watch the body of work created by Bergman and Antonioni than the vast majority of current films. I'm still mourning the loss of Fellini. Hell, I still miss Leone.

I'm going to toss an assignment back to you. How about a piece on William Klein? There may be a larger than usual audience for Mr. Freedom these days.

John Mitchell vs. Alberto Gonzales? Hmmmmm...Mitchell was smarter and he had that colorful wife, Martha - God rest her soul. If only Mrs. Gonzales had Martha's cajones and passion for speed dialing the press, Al might be joining John in the Attorney General hall of convicted infamy. Junior would have made sure he didn't do any actual time, of course.

So, Gonzales invokes his ethnic roots, but will they claim him? I doubt it. Who in the world wants to align themselves with someone so whiney and void of intellect?

A shout out to author Charles Bowden who referred to Gonzales as the "motherf****er who wrote the torture memo" to Gonzales' face when he had the opportunity - you will always be my hero.

See ya, Al. We really didn't deserve you.

I'm so glad the privy perv has decided to fight it out. With Rove and Gonzales headed back to Texas, the only real lightening rod left is Dick Cheney.

I remember being creeped out watching Craig in the 1999 piece calling Clinton a nasty, naughty, bad boy, reminding me of the scene in A Clockwork Orange where the social worker pays a visit to Alex.

EEWWWWWWWWW.

I find myself left with one question at this point and that is what do we owe the Iraqi people?

It was in the interest of relatively few people in the US to invade Iraq - the same people who think-tanked themselves into a delusion of applying simplicity to a complex situation and came up unbelievably short.

I'm struck each time I watch the names and ages of our fallen and note that, more often than not, they tend to be from small towns. I wonder if they felt they were making a difference, or if they felt tired and betrayed. I imagine years down the road how loved ones left behind will frame the cost in their lives. I don't know how to let them know that I think about them.

I listen to interpreters translating the frustration and anger of displaced Iraqi citizens and learn how, for many of them, their lives have become a living hell. I don't know how to let them know that I think about them, too.

I lost my sister to cancer two years ago and her absence is ever present. I know it isn't any different for Americans or Iraquis who've lost loved ones in this war.

George Bush and Dick Cheney were never the right people to force a democracy in Iraq. They lacked the experience, intellect and wisdom to properly execute such an ambitious undertaking. They're making it up as they go along, running out the clock and praying for a break.

As much as find both of them beneath contempt, I keep hoping for the best in Iraq.

So, what do we owe the Iraqi people and who will pay the cost?