The story on Petraeus' "Counterinsurgency" manual is bigger than this by far. Not that this story about the Boylan blunder is without meaning.

Turns out, the counterinsurgency manual, the blueprint for our eventual success in Iraq, is, to but it bluntly, fulla shit! Petraeus is full of it. The vaunted manual is a bunch of unattributed plagairisms from all over. None of the procedures are based on anything except what the authors puffed out of their ass or copied.

Peetray and Boylan blunder- what a pair.

Basically, the counterinsurgency manual that peetrayus put his name on has the intellectual grounding of a cheap self-help book and not much more.

4) I have always believed that federal service for all young adults...

Involutary servitude is completely incompatible with any society which values liberty. I can't see how it would be good for anything.

And the fact that you would propose it lets me know just who I am dealing with. An enemy of liberty.

I don't get it. Soldiers, "grunts" follow orders. They start out by admitting they do not have the capacity to order their own lives, so they join the military. I have no respect for a man, or woman who gives over to someone like Boylan, the most consequential ethical and moral decisions, like killing on order.

What is there to respect? I understand their position, that they are in a tough spot, but if you want to try and tell me I should respect them because thay are protecting me, I'm gonna laugh loud and long.

If what I am reading and seeing is any indication, they don't even respect each other, frankly! All those guys with brain injury and PTSD having trouble getting benefits. Are Bush and Cheney turning them down? Hell no! It's other soldiers, grunts and Jesus Christ medical personnel, who are the instruments and executers of screwing them. So they screw their own wounded. I should respect that.

There may be some things to admire or fear about the military, but there is nothing, nothing at all to respect.

That, by the way, is a quintessentialy AMERICAN position on the Armed Forces, not this Prussian "respect" for them.

When Bush made the Armed Forces of the United States the instrument of pre-emption, preventitive war and occupation (with torture), they forfeited any right to respect. Oh, they should still get their wages, but as far as respect, that's over with.

And besides, they stink! They make every possible mistake, and have every possible corruption.

If the Armed Forces had said "Sorry George, that's not what we doCome back with a Declaration of War, and we'll talk"

I should respect an organisation which has been instrumental in, and eager to, shred the Constitution? I don't think so.

Armies are the enemies of freedom. In their own countries as much as anyplace else.

The mendacity on the way to the War On Iraq didn't do it, the nature of the invasion didn't, the detaining of Iraquis, the corruption in Baghdad, and on and on to all the borrowed money and the torture. None of them did it.

The list is, of course, the very long, the things that didn't do it, arouse the American public to put a stop to Bush and Cheney. The dread of a confrontation with Iran doesn't seem to be doing it, either.

You know what? given all the things that haven't caused us to impeach and try Bush and all that, he's got everything he needs to make just about as much war as he wants, including the Kyl-Leiberman resolution.

Really, the only big hurdle he has got in front of him is a draft. Only thing he's short of. Will that be a crucial point for the public?

Let's not forget the inestimable advantages which would accrue to any polity which would acquire Dave Huckabee, Mike's son, as the child of the chief executive. Especially in these pro-torture days, well, let's just say that Dave is probably more qualified to be the Torturer-in-Chief for the US than any of the other candidates. Just Google him for the whole varmint psychosis story!

Dianne Feinstein, I remember when she was running for Mayor in SF and the town was coated with posters showing Di-Fi's behive coiffed head on the body of a woman clad in a leather bustier holding a whip.

Dianne Feinstein for Dominant Mistress of San Francisco!!

said the caption.

For Republican voters, chicken-hawkery (of either type) is an electoral plus, not a mark of shame. Their definition if courage is how loud you can shout in support of wars you can avoid fighting. He'll click with the Repub voters, for sure!

Having said that, Friedman, just like so many neocons, has always been the Jewish pudgy dork...

However odious his opinions and myopic his commentary, Tom Friedman has a well chiseled, muscular and well-proportioned body. His body is the envy of all his friends, and he's often asked at parties to strip down and pose like a discus thrower.

So cast your poisonous aspersions elsewhere, Cleopatra!

that Mr. Friedman has not shown up in the comments section. He's got a lot of expiating to do.

for the past, oh, about four weeks people have been getting very touchy in the comments sections of several blogs. Ready to fly off into a cyclone of invective at the slightest misapprehension. Frustration, feelings of political impotence, and a sort of sick amazement at what os going on.

It gets to you.

and people who might be in more agreement than they think end up at each others throat, digitally-wise. Is what I meant to say

Mr. Friedman could explain it all.

I happened to catch a newscast on this morning, they've got this Bilal guy down as someone who was "in league with the insurgents" cause he "always knew where they were going to strike"! I might be paraphrasing a little, but that's the gist of the report. Jeez.