I was just delighted he would be absent from L&O where his character and his acting grate on me ... badly.

Dan Abrams on MSNBC was playing 30-40 year old ** never before seen ** Charles Manson interviews last night ... how desperate is that ... the Manson was barely comprehensive, probably incomprehensible to anyone who didn't live through the 60s and partake of their share.

We can only pray that "the media" doesn't annoint Thompson as "the natural" as they did Bush ...

Bush has been losing an international popularity contest to both Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden....

The Democrats may be poised for a stunning three-peat ... similarly in danger of appearing plainly incoherent and ineffectual ... as they trip over each hurdle between now and November 2008 ... at least they could don costumes including garish makeup and red rubber noses and arrive in a teeny-tiny clown car, battling each other with bouncy foam bats and plastic water-squirting butonnieres.

Petraeus, I now realize, has been promoted as some straight-shooting best-and-brightest wunderkind for over a year ... there was a prolonged lead-in and buildup about his "cred" ...

The last couple of days have prove him to be a smarmy yes-man ... and worse, a liar and a promise breaker, and worse, a politician ... making even Rumsfield seem accountable in comparison.

This whole business of goalposts and metrics -- that TeamBush has been giving lip service to for several years ((with nothing much to show because -- according to them -- the rules of engagment or situation on the ground or political climate or whatever keeps changing -- gosh, in a war zone, no less)) should be coming full circle to bite them in the ass as "the surge" has firstly failed to deliver and secondly -- they are trying like hell to make 99% of "the surge" permanent at least until we run out of warm bodies.

Isn't this called "bait and switch"?

I really expected some "new" tactics and, aside from arming Sunni militia/tribesmen (which I think we did, going around the legislative process when Maliki was unable to get any power-sharing agreement), it all sounds very familiar and, to be honest, bogus ...

I'm not sure it started out as a "con job" -- over-sold and misrepresented -- but I don't think we received what we thought we were buying when the funds for the surge were approved ... either.

fool me once, twice, ... etc.

not to mention the families of those killed and wounded in the stepped up hostilities that apparently constituted "the surge" ...

There "must" be other valid parameter besides to casualty counts that go "up" or "down", no? What about "identified and disarmed IEDs?" or "thwarted car bombs?" What about electricity and clean water?

It certainly looks like more "whack a mole on steroids" to me.

hell, from reports, these folks attempted (and may have been allowed) to even cherry-pick (or "redefine") the data...

it's called cooking the books, whether it's in accounting, drug trials, or quality control.... to EVEN suggest doing such a thing casts a dark shadow over all participants.

by most accounts, Petraeus is both too smart and too ambitious not to understand the consequences of such impropriety.

September 9, 2007, 11:58 am

New Poll on Iraq, Troop Buildup Strategy

By Megan Thee

A majority of Americans say the United States made a mistake getting involved in the war in Iraq, and the increased numbers of troops in recent months has either made things worse or had no impact at all, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

Still, more people now say President Bush’s troop buildup in Iraq, the so-called surge, has helped to improve the situation than said so last spring.

Sixty-two percent of those polled said the United States made a mistake getting involved in Iraq, 34 percent said it was not a mistake. In March 2003, just after the war began, only 24 percent of Americans said the United States’ involvement was a mistake, 70 percent said it was not a mistake.

url: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/09/new-poll-on-iraq-troop-buildup-strategy/index.html?hp

Matalin likely pulled her "assertion" out of thin air -- someone should ask her what "winning" might look like ...

Our troops in Iraq may soon be crying "no one told me what we were fighting for" .... I think Bush has lost American "hearts and minds" in Iraq --- REGARDLESS --- of any progress, up's or down's. I have NO idea how the "consensus" will migrate ...

My suspicion is that TPTB will aim for a "forgotten" war, like Korea ... and, unfortunately for us all, that may be successful in silencing much opposition.

Highly recommend both the NYT and WAPO ... Condi Rice got 1-2 line in WAPO, no mention in NYT ... and not mention of any positive RESULTS from her efforts ... she seems becalmed.

Most of the "gains" cited in the NYT are of uncertain or more likely "other" cause (depopulation works!!!) and the duration of the gains, much less their "dependency" on our presence is also absolutely uncertain.

Oh, Petraeus is also locking horns with his pentago boss Fallon -- big time -- in addition to reportedly wanting Maliki. I cannot wait for "his side of the story."

url: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/08/AR2007090801846.html

... so, they may end up with a much reduced force operating behind behind the walls of secured compounds as Hillary Clinton proposes as "her plan" ...

They wouldn't need a draft to launch an air campaign against Iran although it's a little late to "declare victory and go home" ...

The NYT article has several references to the Iraq people believing we're on our way out ... I have no idea what will happen THERE if/when they figure out we're not going anywhere... rumors of our departure is the glimmer of light at the end of their tunnel as well.