The shabbiness of the evidence and the unanimity of media approval for Powell's UN sales pitch had a profound effect on me. I wasn't exactly a Pollyanna before, but that day made it official that our nation had had a psychotic break from reality.

I've documented this at some length at http://dayofshame.blogspot.com.

Re: the "lucky guesses" of some, I quote from a post there, listing the five questions I repeatedly asked a Republican friend in the run-up to the war, all of which he repeatedly dodged:

1. In your opinion, what good evidence did Bush or Powell provide that Saddam has WMD?

2. How can one justify a pre-emptive war absent strong evidence of either a clear and present threat or a violation of UN sanctions?

3. If evidence doesn't matter, why did we urge the UN to resume the inspection regimes?

4. What justified our trumping the UN's inspection efforts (which, again, were resumed at our urging), at a substantial cost to us in international good will?

5. Why are we optimistic that regime change will be effective, given the tragic history of blowback and no U.S. good deed going unpunished in the Middle East?

It's just grand when they tell you "hindsight is 20/20." Sometimes sight is to, if you'll just open your eyes. Even if you aren't a fancy-schmancy "scholar."

http://www.correntewire.com/once_again_kristol_blew_persuasion

Ad hominem arguments typically impugn one's opponent on a personal basis, not claiming that his behavior is no better than ours.

I'd categorize this as a false equivalence, of a sort frequently practiced in these circles:

http://www.correntewire.com/equivalating

"I am not formally consulting with the administration about Iraq policy" and "I'm not doing paid work on Iraq for anyone in the government."

You could drive a big money truck through those weasel holes. How much "informal" consulting is he doing, and to what end? On whose behalf is he doing paid work on Iraq?

It's "some Democrats"

We need to focus derision on those who actually make those votes and on the leaders who can't convince or cajole them to protect the Constitution.

Calling the culprits "the Democrats," as even Rep. Moran does, gives air cover to those responsible for caving in on GOP monstrosities like the FISA vote, spreading the blame of 18% and 33% of House and Senate Democrats (http://www.correntewire.com/fraction_contest) over the whole of the party.

It also gives rise to "they're all alike" defeatism. Many find this a pleasingly concrete position, but the #s don't support it.

To effect change, we need to make the Bush Dogs / Blue Dogs pariahs within the party and within the country overall. They have defied the will of the voters, of their party, and of their forefathers.

Harry and Nancy should be leading that charge, publicly shaming their mutinous "troops," or they should be replaced by patriots who will.

Re: "The process dodge."

I still haven't been able to find out definitively whether Harry and Nancy could have gone to recess without holding a vote on FISA. Did the GOP have the votes/mechanism to ram through such a vote without the Dems' assent? If the answer is no, then this was indeed a process dodge.

In any case, selling out the Constitution because the house in the Hamptons or the Tuscan villa was calling is a pretty sad affair. Some of the same people who criticized the Iraqi parliament for its summer recess ought to look in the mirror.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/july-dec07/pelosi_08-02.html

JIM LEHRER: Some people have expressed outrage over the fact that the Iraqi parliament has taken the month of August off as a vacation. Do you share that outrage?

REP. NANCY PELOSI: Well, while our troops are in harm's way there and the need for us to see strong political change, it seems they've left before their work was completed.

http://democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=278410&

July 9, 2007

Reid: Democrats Remain Committed To Fulfilling Promises At Home And Abroad

Washington, DC—Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada on the floor of the U.S. Senate today outlined the Democrats’ agenda for the new work period:

“It wasn’t long ago that many of us criticized the Iraqi parliament for signaling that they would break for summer recess without completing any of their major legislative goals. We were right to do so. They were elected to do a job for the Iraqi people. It would have been irresponsible to leave for a long vacation before that job was done – and as we can see, they still have a very long way to go.

“Here in Congress, we have much work ahead of us as well. And in this work period, we will hold ourselves to the same standard that we held the Iraqi government: We will keep working until we get the job done. This will be one of our most important work periods of the year. In the coming weeks, we have the chance to accomplish many of the things the American people sent us here to do.