The Grunts Know

Read ksuwildkat's diary at Daily Kos.

...As a soldier I have been involved in this war in one way or another since 1990. I was in Baghdad early on when we actually thought we could rebuild the country. It was a tough decision then to cut down the trees on the airport road then but when you are getting shot at, you have to do something. Now we are blowing up bridges. For the first time I believe we have lost. For the first time as a military professional I think we have no way of winning this. We are willing to destroy the basic structures of the country to deny the enemy their use. This means we have no other way to deny them the use of these assets. We can't stop them, the Iraqi Army can't stop them, the Iraqi police can't stop them and we can't collect enough intelligence to make the enemy pay for using what should be choke points.

There is no way to sugar coat this. This is a MAJOR development. That we have made it public is also a big deal because every other military professional in the world knows we are done. This war may go on for a long time but the conclusion is decided as far as I can see. I never imagined I would see this day.

If the boots on the ground think we're done...wow.

Pretty Much

A big chunk of the national media establishment do live and work in New York. As such, they understand that the subway is massive, it's how people get to and from their jobs, that most people are going to pay little attention to these warnings (or even be aware of them). The hysterical reporting is ridiculous.

How my roommate and I found out about the subway threat: We called our moms. They live in Chicago and Dallas. When we did get on the subway I saw all of two cops which is pretty standard and NOBODY was conducting searches. In fact it was the fastest commute we've had all summer. How seriously can we take things if there is no real attempt to protect us?

"Plenty Bright" II

Molly Ivins recalls the "moderate" Harriet Miers' 1989 campaign for city council in Dallas.

When pressed, she said she did believe one should be able to legally discriminate against gays, and it is the recollection of two of the organization's officers that the response involved her religious beliefs.

Miers' church states on its website that it believes in biblical inerrancy, full immersion baptism, original sin and salvation dependent entirely upon accepting Jesus Christ. Everyone else is going to hell.

I'm still baffled that President Bootsie's nomination of his personal lawyer for the Supreme Court is something that we have to take seriously. This man has no shame.

And, by the way, has any WH Staff secretary ever had this kind of career path?

"Plenty Bright"

She once told me that the president was the most brilliant man she had ever met.

Not fit to judge a hogcalling contest, AND insulting to female impersonators everywhere.