It is like I am living in some fantasy opposite land. Has there been a single poll released in the past six months that says Americans "support the war but oppose losing"? Has there been a single poll released in the past six months that says Americans don't want to withdraw from Iraq? Has there been a single poll released in the past six months that says the "surge" was a good idea? Has there been a single poll released in the past six months that confirms Americans trust George W. Bush on this war?

I don't think so. Not only has virtually 100% of the polls said Americans are sick of this war and sick of this President, but there was a landslide election which said the *same exact thing*. So why do these Republicans still behave like Americans are with them? Why do they believe they still have a St. Ronald in 1984 type of mandate (they never did but surely acted as such)? I don't get it.

Even worse, the (not enough) Democrats are treated by Republicans and the so-called left wing media like they are ruining their political careers by saying "no". Like Americans really do love the war in Iraq and will not support anyone that goes against it or the Decider. This is just bizarre.

It's not September 12, 2001 anymore. It hasn't been for a long time. I don't even know what the hell is going on in this country anymore.

Tony Blair graduated from Oxford. He is a smart man. I have seen him speak on many an occasion. He is an articulate man. It is sad to see him reduced to being a second-rate clone of Bush. It's weird that this tends to happen when you associate with him (the same fate befell Gonzalez, a smart, self-made man himself). The company you keep and all that.

How the hell is Dick Cheney making bold and confident assertions about Al-Qaeda and Iraq a "totally different issue" from the Bush Administration making bold and confident assertions about Al-Qaeda and Iraq?

And why can RichEmery of the Salon discussion forums find that speech and quote from it and the press corps cannot?

General Petraeus will say that his work is difficult but he feels progress is being made. We can't quit now!

McCain will go on TV and say that he read Fiasco and Cobra II and knows "mistakes were made" but we have a new plan in place and a new exalted General and it needs more time.

Lieberman will go on TV and say that anyone who questions the exalted General is treasonous and loves Osama bin Laden.

Bush will say that he trusts what Petraeus says and he can't find them over here so we have to fight them there.

Dick Cheney will snarl and sneer at Wolf Blitzer.

In other words - SEPTEMBER IS GOING TO BE EXACTLY THE SAME AS FEBRUARY. NOTHING IS GOING TO CHANGE. I can't believe the media is really buying the idea that September is the cutoff date. It's a delay tactic and that's all this administration has right now.

With many Presidents, we often find that they are in much worse condition than we ever knew while they were in office. For example, Kennedy was very sick and on a constant supply of drugs. Rehnquist was in similar shape. Reagan was getting his first symptons of Alzheimer's.

What are we gonna find out about the Decider in 20 years?

Much of the blame for this is apparently being laid at the feet of Iraqi police and security forces. In some cases, according to the Times, they're not doing an adequate job of the tasks assigned them; at other times, they're more concerned about sectarian loyalties or even participating in attacks on U.S. soldiers.

Where have I heard this all before? Oh yea, every single time they have been mentioned the past three years. It's not like this is news. Did Kagan (and Kagan and Kagan and Kagan) really think they would just shape up because Bush told them to? Why did this surge plan rely on them so heavily? How stupid do you have to be to design a plan around something that has shown no evidence it will live up to that plan?

Oh, wait.

The President himself says that his policies are right because there hasn't been another 9/11. So wouldn't another 9/11 prove that the President's policies are NOT working?

So they take our weapons and our money, fight al-Qaeda, then turn those weapons on us. They would, of course, have even plenty of hands-on experience in urban warfare.

We are arming and training people that want to kill our soldiers and giving them the power to do it. And the White House accuses liberals of not supporting the troops? This is nuts!

These questions asked by the reporter were not tricky, or convoluted, or hard, or anything. And as you can see Snow was just completely flummoxed. His ramblings were nonsensical and cyclical. It kind of makes you think about the types of questions that are normally asked!

McCain blasted General Casey when he was on his way out. His words were much harsher and more direct, too.