I don’t really do them, because for me, the New Year has always started in the fall. I’m on the academic schedule no matter what I do, it seems. If I did do them, they’d probably consist of the usual boring things we all promise ourselves we’ll do: be less lazy, lose ten pounds, call my family more often. Do you make resolutions? What are they? A. Continue reading Resolutions?

From AP The death of a Texas soldier, announced Sunday by the Pentagon, raised the number of U.S. military deaths in Iraq to at least 3,000, according to an Associated Press count, since the war began in March 2003. Continue reading 3000

So they’re popping popcorn over in Freeperville. They’re all just betting on the time of death, posting pictures of Saddam photoshopped under a camel, the usual wingnut parlor tricks and cheap Fark imitations that let them believe they’re part of the great struggle. Goody for them. I’ve never really begrudged anybody the right to do whatever makes them feel good so long as no children or non-consenting adults are harmed, so let them post away in their fury, let them work themselves up. At least it’ll keep them out of our hair. I’m not going to pretend to feel like … Continue reading Hanged

Reporter Hannah Allam files a report for McClatchy Newspapers on how Iraq has changed since she was last there in 2005. Here is part but it is worth it to read it all On one of my first days back, I took a little tour with my Iraqi colleagues to get reacquainted with the capital. We decided to stay on the eastern Shiite side of the Tigris River rather than play Russian roulette in the Sunni west. Even on the relatively “safe” side of the river, a dizzying assortment of armed men roamed freely. In the space of an hour, … Continue reading What it’s like

Malkin is at it again. Groan. In a piece called “The Bipartisan Katrina Boondoggle” she points to Democratic ties to the Shaw group which obtained a huge no bid Katrina contract and concludes “Katrina cronyism comes in equally vibrant shades of red and blue.” However if one looks at the total picture, specifically all four no bid contracts (including Shaw’s) that are under review it would be far more difficult to argue a case for equal opportunity cronyism as Malkin’s does with her selectivity … 1) BECHTEL GROUP INC. Contributions: More than $1.3 million since 2000, primarily to Republicans Also: … Continue reading More Malkin Stupidity…

Credit where it’s due: In escalating this war with a so-called “surge” of troops, the President would be overriding the expressed concerns of Generals on the ground, Secretary Powell, the bipartisan Iraq Study Group and the American people. Colin Powell has said that placing more troops in the crossfire of a civil war simply will not work. General John Abizaid, our top commander in the Middle East, said just last month that, “I believe that more American forces prevent the Iraqis from doing more, from taking more responsibility for their own future.” Even the Joint Chiefs of Staff have expressed … Continue reading Happy Obama Photo

In the Golden Winger contest. A. Continue reading Vote!

Evidently the pardon was not for our healing… “I looked upon him as my personal friend. And I always treasured our relationship. And I had no hesitancy about granting the pardon, because I felt that we had this relationship and that I didn’t want to see my real friend have the stigma,” Ford said in the interview. That acknowledgment represents a significant shift from Ford’s previous portrayals of the pardon that absolved Nixon of any Watergate-related crimes. In earlier statements, Ford had emphasized the decision as an effort to move the country beyond the partisan divisions of the Watergate era, … Continue reading Nixon – Ford Friendship

Riverbend has a new post up My only conclusion is that the Americans want to withdraw from Iraq, but would like to leave behind a full-fledged civil war because it wouldn’t look good if they withdraw and things actually begin to improve, would it? Here we come to the end of 2006 and I am sad. Not simply sad for the state of the country, but for the state of our humanity, as Iraqis. We’ve all lost some of the compassion and civility that I felt made us special four years ago. I take myself as an example. Nearly four … Continue reading Riverbend

The third annual Military Times poll of active-duty personnel, viewed “as a barometer of the professional career military”, proves that Our Troops! hate America. For the first time, more troops disapprove of the president’s handling of the war than approve of it, according to the 2006 Military Times Poll. When the military was feeling most optimistic about the war — in 2004 — 83% of poll respondents thought success in Iraq was likely. This year, that number has shrunk to 50%. Only 35% of the military members polled this year said they approve of the way Bush is handling the … Continue reading He’s Lost The Military

Holy Crap! [CNN White House correspondent Ed ] HENRY: You know, going back to September 2001, the president said, dead or alive, we’re going to get him. Still don’t have him. I know you are saying there’s successes on the war on terror, and there have been. That’s a failure. [Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Frances Fragos] TOWNSEND: Well, I’m not sure — it’s a success that hasn’t occurred yet. I don’t know that I view that as a failure. Continue reading Failure Is Simply Delayed Success

The boys got lots of toys for Christmas from their petsitter and their friends. (From us, they got new cage furniture, pet beds and a hammock. Bo-ring.) Their favorite thus far is this giant plushy octopus thing, with legs you can use to crawl into the octopus. Or, as Stripe does, just climb up on top of it and squish it: Joey’s more a fan of the inside: A. Continue reading Friday Ferretblogging: Toyland Edition

White House to Joe Biden: Well, the President has spoken frequently about the importance of our effort in Iraq, the importance of helping the Iraqi people institute a government and create a society that is stable, can govern itself and be an ally in the war on terror. And he continues to ask questions. He understands that the American people are, rightfully, very concerned about what is going on in Iraq, as is the President. But the President wants to make sure that he’s taking the appropriate amount of time and giving the appropriate consideration of all the options before … Continue reading Fantasy Congress

Link. Dads across America had the same expression on Christmas morning. “Oh, man, how do I tell the kids last year’s sweater is still in its box in my closet?” A. Continue reading Happy Harry Photo: Sweater Edition

AFP pulls no punches while assession Condi’s first two years as Secretary of State [Of course, they are French. /wingnut] Condoleezza Rice wraps up her first two years as secretary of state with few diplomatic successes to show for her efforts and fewer signs she plans to change course to improve the record. [snip] [S]ince she took over as America’s top diplomat on January 26, 2005 with an agenda to promote freedom and democracy around the globe, Rice has been shadowed by the failure of that plan on its biggest stage: Iraq. The violence in Iraq, and the Bush administration’s … Continue reading La-La-La-Loser!

You’ll never see these guys on CNN. Many of the American soldiers trying to quell sectarian killings in Baghdad don’t appear to be looking for reinforcements. They say the temporary surge in troop levels some people are calling for is a bad idea. [snip] Spc. Don Roberts, who was stationed in Baghdad in 2004, said the situation had gotten worse because of increasing violence between Shiites and Sunnis. “I don’t know what could help at this point,” said Roberts, 22, of Paonia, Colo. “What would more guys do? We can’t pick sides. It’s almost like we have to watch them … Continue reading Our Troops Say No! To The Surge

It’s The Chimpster. Bad guy of 2006: President Bush. Good guy of 2006: President Bush. When people were asked in an AP-AOL News poll to name the villains and heroes of the year, Bush topped both lists, in a sign of these polarized times. [snip] Bush won the villain sweepstakes by a landslide, with one in four respondents putting him at the top of that bad-guy list. When people were asked to name the candidate for villain that first came to mind, Bush far outdistanced even Osama bin Laden, the terrorist leader in hiding; and former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, … Continue reading Villain of the Year

From his fake ranch in Crawford. It’s An Idea Of A Scheme Of A Plan For A Strategy It’s an important part of coming to closure on a way forward in Iraq that will help us achieve our objective, which is a country that can govern itself, sustain itself and defend itself. Understand the Understanding I fully understand it’s important to have both Republicans and Democrats understanding the importance of this mission. Deciderating Is Hard Work I’m making good progress toward coming up with a plan that we think will help us achieve our objective. Does Not Plan To Win … Continue reading Your President Speaks!

Nonuts of the North on polar bears. If the polar bears need more floating ice to survive, let’s get them some more floating ice! Like artificial reefs, we can build fake floating ice, or make real floating ice, and distribute it across the polar bear habitat. Mightn’t this be expensive? you ask. I dunno maybe. I haven’t priced artificial polar bear ice platforms lately. But I will bet you dollars to doughnuts it would cost a mere fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of the cost of a Kyoto regime and it would save vastly more … Continue reading Your Dumbass Jonah Post of the Day

A May post has background on the mentally disabled man, Ronald Madison, shot 5 times in the back by NOPD in the days after Katrina hit.Today 7 officers were indicted regarding that case and another shooting … NEW ORLEANS – Seven police officers were indicted Thursday on murder and attempted murder charges in a pair of shootings that left two people dead during the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The charges cover two separate shootings on bridges. In one case, two young men were killed on the Danziger Bridge connecting two predominantly black neighborhoods. In the other, four people were … Continue reading NOPD shooting update…7 officers indicted

The commander of British troops in southern Iraq accused Britain of failing its troops and also stated… Gen Shirreff admitted that British ambitions in Iraq had been scaled back, adding: “Clearly I would love a 100% solution. When I set up, came up here and initiated the operations we have been conducting, I was looking for a 100% solution. But this is Iraq, this is Arabia and this is reality, so a 60% solution is good enough for me.” Read the rest at The Guardian—– Continue reading 60% solution

I like this John Edwards guy. “It would be a huge mistake to put a surge of troops into Iraq,” Edwards said on ABC’s “Good Morning America. “It sends exactly the wrong signal. We can maximize our chances for success by making clear we are going to leave Iraq and not stay there forever.” Continue reading Surge!

Edwards Wednesdayin New Orleans… Edwards did speak briefly to the recovery, faulting the White House for providing too little help. “The president should’ve said, ‘I want someone in my office every morning, telling me what was happening in New Orleans yesterday,’ ” he said. The announcement of his candidacy will be today Continue reading Edwards in NOLA

I have to give it to Gerald Ford on this. He did an embargoed interview in July 2004 with Woodward that Ford said “could be published anytime after his death” according to WaPo. There is some strangely deft elegant touch particular to this man considered the team player, that he finally have his last word… On Bush and Iraq “I don’t think I would have gone to war,” he said a little more than a year after President Bush had launched the invasion advocated and carried out by prominent veterans of Ford’s own administration. SNIP“Rumsfeld and Cheney and the president … Continue reading A Parting Goodbye

Bill Bennet is right.Gerald Ford was a pussy. Since “decency” seems to be the watchword of the day and the consensus modifier for Jerry Ford (a view with which I generally concur), may I nevertheless be permitted to ask this: just how decent, how courageous, is what Jerry Ford did with Bob Woodward? He slams Bush & Cheney to Woodward in 2004, but asks Woodward not to print the interview until he’s dead. If he felt so strongly about his words having a derogatory affect, how about telling Woodward not to run the interview until after Bush & Cheney are … Continue reading Stopped Clock Syndrome

The NYT has an article on the frustration of US forces… “I have come to the conclusion that this is no longer America’s war in Iraq, but the Iraqi civil war where America is fighting,” Major Voorhies said. A two-day reporting trip accompanying Major Voorhies’s unit and combat troops seemed to back his statement, as did other commanding officers expressing similar frustration. SNIPLooking at a map he had his intelligence officers create, which highlights current battle zones and details the changing religious makeup of neighborhoods, Colonel Miska noted just how many different forces, each answering to different bosses, currently occupied … Continue reading What a mess

As one who despised Nixon I was angry to say the least when Gerald Ford pardoned him. Ford always thought he had done the right thing for the country. I would still disagree. I had forgotten that Ford’s press secretary Jerald F. terHorst had resigned in protest of Ford’s decision to pardon Nixon.Here are the last paragraphs of his resignation letter which laid out his reasons… So it is with great regret, after long soul-searching, that I must inform you that I cannot in good conscience support your decision to pardon former President Nixon even before he has been charged … Continue reading The Nixon Pardon

The latest ARG poll gives Chimpy a lump of coal. Among all Americans, 35% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 61% disapprove. When it comes to Bush’s handling of the economy, 37% approve and 57% disapprove. Among Americans registered to vote, 35% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 61% disapprove. When it comes to the way Bush is handling the economy, 38% of registered voters approve of the way Bush is handling the economy and 56% disapprove. Continue reading Stuck at 35

LOS ANGELES – Gerald R. Ford, who picked up the pieces of Richard Nixon’s scandal-shattered White House as the 38th and only unelected president in America’s history, has died, his wife, Betty, said Tuesday. He was 93. Read the rest Continue reading RIP: Gerald Ford

The Times Picayune reports the lack of conventions, liesure tourists and publicity as reasons that small business operators are struggling to remain open… After the revived fall convention season failed to pull them out of the doldrums, many small businesses in the city’s tourism industry say they’re hanging on by a thread and in desperate need of leisure travelers. SNIPAn estimated 197,000 guests attended conventions at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, which hosts the largest gatherings, this year. That compared with about 372,000 attendees in the shortened 2005 convention year and more than 523,700 in 2004. SNIPIt’s leisure travelers … Continue reading NOLA small businesses teter on edge…Antoine’s existence threatened