More Odds And Ends

The week is over, but the turmoil is not. A quick look at some miscellaneous news-

Your tax dollars at work... Reuters reports that "The Iraq war could cost U.S. taxpayers between $202 billion and $406 billion more over the next 10 years, depending on how quickly U.S. force levels can be reduced, congressional budget experts said on Thursday." Emphasis added- this is in addition to the nearly half a trillion already spent! With a record deficit, how can anyone justify continuing to throw this kind of money down this sinkhole?

Meanwhile, Think Progress reminds us that the Senate voted last November, as part of another spending bill, to declare 2006 would be "a period of significant transition" for Iraq and call on the Bush administration "to explain to Congress and the American people its strategy for the successful completion of the mission in Iraq." Nearly a year later and we're still stuck in a holding pattern as the congressional leaders scream 'stay the course!' and throw 'cut and run' talking points at the opposition party, while ignoring the fact that we still seem to have no real plan for dealing with this mess. I have a feeling this November, they will receive a wakeup call.

In related news, the Army decides to stop giving Halliburton a free ride.

And Arianna Huffington wants to know why Democrats are silent on the issue of permanent bases in Iraq.

In lighter Iraq news, Elmo will help explain to children why their parents are being deployed overseas.

Moving on, President Bush and the GOP Congress- in light of numerous abuses and overreach- are struggling to resolve before the midterm elections a series of issues relating to the war on terror (detainee treatment, military tribunals, and eavesdropping). Why? Is the standard 'rubberstamp what the President wants and tell Americans to trust in you' approach no longer working? It seems to me that the best way to go forward is the mea culpa approach... admit that you did it wrong and that you're willing to start over and find agreeable solutions to these serious issues. Have an open, honest debate resulting in solutions which help us combat terrorism, while also adhering to U.S. and international law. Shall I hold my breath?

On a related note, a new AP poll finds that "Americans by an almost 3-to-1 margin hold the GOP-controlled Congress in low regard and profess a desire to see Democrats wrest control after a dozen years of Republican rule" and also finds "a solid percentage of liberals, moderates and even conservatives who say they'll vote Democratic." Don't break out the champagne bottles just yet, my friends; a lot can change in four months. I do think, however, that this good news should maybe give the Democrats the confidence to... ya know, start campaigning already. Grab a Jolt cola and start knocking on some doors, Dems.

Meanwhile, 2006 is looking to be another record hot year. Global warming, you cad! Experts believe that this climate change is responsible for such extreme weather conditions this summer as "moderate to extreme droughts in almost 45 percent of the contiguous United States" while "some areas, such as the Northeast of the country experienced record rainfalls and severe floods."

Speaking of hot... Al Gore is also apparently now a fashion symbol. Who knew?

In other news, someone sent to the NY Times a fake/prank 'anthrax letter', which was actually just generic white powder. I doubt they'll ever catch the anonymous mailer, but I think it's obvious that this was the work of some overenthusiastic Malkin-esque right-winger as part of their anti-NY Times crusade. If my belief is correct, it'd almost be par for the course for them, as they've already accused the paper of treason and advocated the execution of its editors. The Reuters article, to their credit, does allude to this connection.

Finally, President Bush is taking the current Middle East crisis very seriously.