You made some good points, but I don’t see how calling a serial killer like GWB a sociopath or psychopath is too strong. He has shown a clear inability to have any empathy for the suffering and death he has personally caused. His insecurities crush his emotions and only allow him to cry for himself, not others. Some sociopaths and psychopaths may have an actual biological disconnect from the thinking and emotional parts of their brains. In that respect, our sick president probably doesn’t qualify.

Republican senator Dick Lugar who has never succumbed to partisan politics over the health of our nation said it all in his opening statement at the Petraeus-Crocker hearing. If you didn’t hear it then make sure you find a way to read every word of it. I agree with every word and America would be very well served if it listened and followed his outstanding big picture advice.

Republican senator Chuck Hagel who gave a penetrating statement more than a question, dismissed the facts and benchmarks nonsense and cited statements by NCOs, the seven who wrote the op-ed piece in the NYT and a wounded warrior at Walter Reed on how their views are much more credible than Petraeus-Crocker.

Interesting how it is two Republicans, one of whom is bailing from the Beltway scene, that are making the best case against keeping a major presence in Iraq.

Also notable is how Petraeus-Crocker seem to be saying that decentralization and local political developments are very encouraging even though the national government is dysfunctional. Hagel said get out from under the bushes and look at the strategic picture and whether further spilling of blood and national treasure is really worth it.

It will be no surprise if neither of these statements get any significant play in the M$M. It will be more important to portray an unimportant partisan fight involving MoveOn.org or some other dramatic exchange instead of telling all America about how two Republican senators have thrown out all the bullshit and told the administration what they don’t want to hear and what all Americans need to hear.

Glenn after you review the coverage from today’s hearing, please expose the M$M for their malfeasance in not heralding what Lugar and Hagel have said.

By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer 32 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans sharply challenged President Bush's top military general and ambassador in Iraq on Tuesday in a sign that some within the GOP retain serious misgivings about the protracted war.

"Are we going to continue to invest blood and treasure at the same rate we're doing now? For what?" asked Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., who supports legislation setting a deadline to bring troops home.

The deep-seated doubt expressed at the hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee reflected just how far Congress had come since the war began over four years ago. And Republican senators raised tough questions that rivaled those asked by Democratic presidential hopefuls on the panel.

The exchanges came just a day after the top U.S. war commander, Gen. David Petraeus, recommended keeping the bulk of U.S. forces in Iraq — some 130,000 troops — deployed there through next summer.

Whereas Republicans were once deferential to the thinking of officials running the war, particularly uniformed officers, Hagel and other GOP senators on the panel said they doubted that simply giving war commanders more time would necessarily yield results.

"In my judgment, some type of success in Iraq is possible, but as policymakers, we should acknowledge that we are facing extraordinarily narrow margins for achieving our goals," said Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, the top Republican on the committee.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070911/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq

Oh please all mighty M$M, keep proving my prediction wrong.

Chris Mathews picked up on the same thing you did Tim. His interview with Joe Biden was hard hitting and emotional. He then interviewed Jim Webb and underscored the point. Let's hope that "I don't know" answer may reverberate for a while.

“Considering he is a blue blooded, silver spoon fed, idle fratboy tool of the ultra-rich, this is a remarkable example of false consciousness.”

It’s hard to tell if its false consciousness or unconsciousness. We don’t have a history of class consciousness to the degree that you Brits do, I’m assuming your name accurately reflects your abode, so we judge by the speech and the thinking, or lack thereof, rather than the class standing. Also, Karl Rove spent a good deal of time and effort to create his Dubya and stir the emotions of the homophobic, religiously right and bigoted.

What is your definition of false consciousness?

We've already been implummed and impeared, so I vote that we give it back to them with a full fruit basket effort. Ims of the world unite!

The reason was covered earlier when several of us spoke about skillful, deceitful salesman. Too many Americans, and no doubt Brits too (I believe you [not specifically you] supported us in this disaster) dream about a better life and in their ernnestness to try and reach that goal, they become fools and buy a fools bargain. Then having bought the deal, they spend endless effort denying they bought it.

Your identification of the psychosis is most appreciated. Whoever approves a new mental illness like KKDS should definitely take it under consideration. I certainly don’t want to encourage those who are ill from it because they are very dangerous to our civil liberties and life.

That is an excellent explanation of what has happened to us. I’m glad I only have to live in one of these fantasy worlds and have much sympathy for you who has to live in two fantasy worlds and then understands the realities of both.