The Emperor Is Wearing No Clothes

More and more people are finally coming around to the reality that President Bush is not the big hero cowboy war president divine warrior his handlers have portrayed him as since late 2001. In fact, whether it's the disastrous war in Iraq, or his misuses of military funds and resources, or putting business deals ahead of security concerns, he is a national security disaster.

Hurricane Katrina helped expose this as well. While President Bush was obsessing over his failing Iraq adventure, he had left our homeland vulnerable and unprepared to deal with a catastrophe. In particular, it exposed how Bush has hurt the National Guard and misused them. All 50 governors are sending a message to the White House on that issue-
NY Times: Bush Policies Are Weakening National Guard, Governors Say

Governors of both parties said Sunday that Bush administration policies were stripping the National Guard of equipment and personnel needed to respond to hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, forest fires and other emergencies.

Tens of thousands of National Guard members have been sent to Iraq, along with much of the equipment needed to deal with natural disasters and terrorist threats in the United States, the governors said here at the winter meeting of the National Governors Association...

...The governors said they would present their concerns to President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Monday. In a preview of their message, all 50 governors signed a letter to the president opposing any cuts in the size of the National Guard...

History would indicate that the White House will reject their suggestions out of pride.

Also, more information is coming out on the Dubai port deal... New reports indicate they would take control at 21 ports, not 6 as originally reported. And Mark Kleiman ponders the business/lobbying aspects of the deal.

Finally, the NY Times has a report on the fallout of this deal-
How a Deal Became a Big Liability for G.O.P.