We didn't go to war to nation build. That's always an after thought. In the marvelous world of using hindsight to predict the past, it certainly looks like you are right. But predicting the past doesn't change the present. Get used to it. At this moment all you're doing is reliving five year old history.

Apparently, neocons and fellow travelers never read any of the classic stories in their childhood, especially the story of Pandora's box. Even though lots of people were telling the grown-up neocons not to open the box, they wanted to! It was such a pretty box and it really had some wonderful things inside! Access to oil! A compliant state run by friend Chalabi! A pipeline from Iraq direct to Haifa! Recognition of Israel by an Arab state! Permanent bases from which to attack our other enemies in the region! What pretty baubles were in that box! Unfortunately, the box didn't have most of those things in it, except the bases. Instead, it was full of all kinds of horror and mayhem, not to mention unintended consequences.

Now that the box has been opened, what Shooter wants us to do is ignore HOW it got opened and WHO insisted on opening it. And he declares that the people who warned against opening it were just Lucky Guessers. Yup. And that the people who wanted to open it and did should have just as much or more say in what happens next.

Excuse me for thinking that you and your pals are at best, silly, and at worst, dangerous humans, Shooter. And, oddly enough, I don't think you should get to have very much say over what happens next.

Did -- does -- Mukasey really need this job? It wouldn't seem so. So what's in it for him to risk the respect of his peers for so little reward? Does he actually believe what what he's saying here? Could he be thinking that no one of significance will notice? Who was he, who is he? Clearly I'm missing something in this story, but I honestly haven't a clue what it is.

-- William Timberman

Mukasey is very strongly anti-Muslim and pro-Israel. He believes that the War on Terror is necessary and good. I'm pretty sure he feels he is doing the Right Thing in fighting the evil guys.

Inspector Maigret ate better

So did Nero Wolfe.

So did Lord Peter Wimsey.

(But Agatha Christie is still my all time favorite detective writer. Even tho Sayers and Tey come close, but not so much for the mysteries. Aggie's the queen of plots and of liking her characters -- I defy you to read an Aggie and not cheer up.)

McCain is not a problem. Obama's extreme liberalism is.

Senator Barack Obama More Liberal than Dennis Kucinich?

Flipping the channels this morning heard a Fox teaser "More trouble for Obama? His extremist views that most Americans don't know about. Obama staffers try to quell this, but Fox is on it for you!!!!"

I was curious what these "extremist" views were -- Obama, the Secret Muslim, has plans to inflict Marxist Sharia law? Obama, the secret Black Nationalist, has plans to do away with all white people, including his grandmother? But Shooter has helpfully stopped by with the goods so I don't have to tune into Fox again.

You are such a reliable spouter of talking points, Shoots, and I appreciate it. Really cuts down on my having to visit the RW sites.

wonder why Amnesty International hasn't launched an investigation of the UK's operation of Heathrow Airport. Isn't it "torture" to keep someone on their feet for eight hours?

-- Elephantman

Yes, because waiting at an airport is just like being held by armed and hostile people who have complete control of your continued existence.

You probably thought Rush was really clever when he compared Abu Ghraib to frat hazing.

Just admit that you weren't aware of these facts.

Glenn, to these people, the things you're saying above aren't facts, they're opinions. And the correctness of the opinion is predicated on who says it the loudest, and whether Rush et al say it, too. In their world, there are no "facts" except that a) Islamofascists want to kill us all for no understandable reason; and b) their idea of America is "good", everyone else's is bad.

TPM has a fascinating tidbit on Doug Feith's comment that anyone who's against torture is "siding with the assholes" (by which, one presumes, he means those people who want to uphold Geneva, etc.).

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/04/

feith_only_assholes_fret_about.php

May I say that I'm really proud of the work that you have done and are doing. It is just stupid -- and emblematic of our sick society -- that you can't live in this "free country" while you're doing most of it.

Thanks for what you do.

To see where that goddess of wisdom started, you have to recognize that the MSM is rife with guys who've simply never recovered from junior high school trouncings. They feel like total Larry Birds when they think they've found some physical activity that they're as good at as a black man.

While there may be some truth to that, the real criticism is about pursuing an activity that had no chance of success. How indicative of future policy decisions might that be?

OK, let me get this straight. The fact that Obama decided to bowl, was bad at it, and continued to bowl anyway, in public, shows that he is a bad decision maker and shouldn't be trusted with the presidency.

The fact that Dubya decided to go to war in Iraq, was bad at it, and decided to continue to be at war in Iraq anyway, in public, shows that he is a good decision maker, and is an excellent president who should be trusted to make many life and death decisions.

Is that your basic argument?