A surge.

A Democratic surge.

I usually don't find much comedy in anything Lindsey Graham says, but, that was pretty funny.

have been found in the street this week?

I'm only sayin'

Pax

How do people say (or hear) things like that in public without breaking out in uncontrollable laughter? He seriously can't believe what he said is true, can he?

The only problem with reconciliation here at home, is that the GOP refuses is become reconciled to the fact that their ideas and policies have become proven failures.

Lindsey Graham's annoying. He likes to masquerade as a moderate, bipartisan, blandly affable face for the GOP (he's kind of the Anti-Edwards), but it's all a mask. He's as crackers as the rest of the GOP, stays well within the GOP elephant herd -- I think he's got a lifetime ranking from the ACU of 91% -- he'd be just the ticket to help McCain goose-step further to the right. Maybe he's hoping to be Mad John's running mate. I can so see him doing that.

No one ever reports on it.

Here is a perfect example of Republican hypocrisy. They think they own the idea of patriotism, and then Lindsay Graham comes out with a crack like this, and no one calls him on it?

Lindsay, are you saying we do not have a functional government? Are you saying we do not have a Constitution which most sane people in this country still believe is the document which the president is sworn to protect and defend? Are you saying we do not have a minimally functional bureaucracy that at least is organized to provide services to people, that we do not have a functional judicial system, that we do not have electricity, running water, garbage pickup, sewer service, operational schools???

If you are, then perhaps you'd be interested in joining the Democratic party, since we're the party that is planning to restore and improve our political system, which has been jeopardized, but not yet destroyed, by the Republicans.

Oh, wait -- maybe you're saying it's a damn shame we have an active two-party system in which people who disagree can speak their minds without engaging in bloodshed and mayhem. If so, then maybe you should move to Iraq, where the political reconciliation system is more to your liking. If you join the "right" team, you can be a murderer, not one of the murdered -- if you're lucky.

I've noticed alot of reports of bombings in Iraq, but the stories are quickly passed over and Iraq is never really talked about very much anymore. Real hard hitting reporting seems to have stopped. Its talked about buy the Republicans in very theoretical terms, like its more a lofty concept than reality. My guess is than there's been a clampdown on information coming out. The only way the Republicans can deflect the issue of Iraq is to keep it out of the public eye and talk about it broad sweepigly ideal terms. If people aren't subject to the images of reality on a daily basis then it stops being a reality and it becomes a concept that can be molded and reshaped.

Graham is, as Slackie Onassis puts it, Crackers. Or had tongue firmly in cheek. To be comparing what is happening here to what is happening in Iraq shows gross (and perhaps willful) ignorance and a callous disregard for the thousands who have died in political and religious violence in Iraq.

Mr. Graham won't, of course, tell us that the only reason things have calmed down somewhat in Iraq is that the ethnic cleansing in Sunni and Shia neighborhoods and towns is more or less complete. Tens of thousands have died, and over 2 million are displaced. Yup, if you get rid of those who disagree with you, "reconciliation" is possible!

"Seriously, how is political reconciliation going in Iraq?

No one ever reports on it."

This guy www.juancole.com reports on it almost everyday. The truth is that every bit of "progress" has been one step up, two steps back, three steps left.

I tried courts-martial with Lindsey Graham while we were both stationed in Europe. He was a very effective trial counsel, though he did tend to milk the "aw shucks I'm just a folksy good old boy" angle to the point of annoying fellow and opposing counsel, particularly when it helped him play more loosely with the facts than was really proper - but I have to admit he made it work.

He is playing to a much larger audience these days, but his ways are the same as they ever were.

Right next to the name "Lindsey Graham" on the letters page is a Yahoo advertisement for douche bags. No joke.

Graham's quote is out of step with the fear surge we'll be experiencing should Mr. Obama or Mrs. (Ms.?) Clinton make strides against the GOP, meanwhile our Air Force is getting a head start.

RE: ad on the side of screen, on my computer today's site pass is sponsored by the new "Above All" ad campaign from the U.S. Air Force using threat of a cyber attack along with a gimmick of seeming to black out the screen. Wow, they made fear sexy?!

he exhibits both irrational exhuberance about iraq, and irrational pessimism about america.

a veritable case study in how to be wrong twice in one sentence.

**He was a very effective trial counsel, though he did tend to milk the "aw shucks I'm just a folksy good old boy" angle to the point of annoying fellow and opposing counsel, particularly **

Wow! thank you for confirming my suspicions. I remember thinking during the impeachment farce that the turned up his accent and his "aw shucks" factor about four notches when speaking to the Senate. I wasn't (and am not) an objective observer, so I'm glad to see it isn't just me.

That would be the true "mission accomplished" for The Surge™: getting Iraq off the front page. Unfortunately for the GOP, stunts and sleight of hand don't appear to be working so well this election cycle.