Weekend Odds and Ends

Most of these deserve their own post. Alas, I have a wedding to attend. So let's run through-

For Bushies, telling the truth's bad for job security: "Three days after Americans saw the Bush administration's counterterrorism chief say the Iraq war has likely not made the United States safer from terrorism, the official announced his resignation, citing health reasons."

And the construction of the U.S. embassy in Baghdad finds itself under investigation.

Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto returned from exile this week as part of a process "meant to mark a transition from military to civilian-led democracy." Good luck with that. Her arrival was marked with an assassination attempt by terrorists. She was unphased.

AG nominee Michael Mukasey's testimony regarding torture and executive power have many concerned that he's not much of a step up from his predecessor. To confirm or not to confirm? Mark Kleiman and Andrew Sullivan, no Democratic apologists they, both dissent.

Mukasey, read this Live Science article: 'Torture Has a Long History ... of Not Working'.

If you can believe it, the President's meeting with the Dalai Lama upset China. Poor babies!

The GOP 'Values Voters Summit' is this weekend. Here's one report. And Bill Maher's take.

Finally, hypocrisy thy name is GOP: "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has warned about the slippery slope leading to 'government-run health care for everyone' while rallying his colleagues against expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program... But as a U.S. senator, McConnell gets government-run, taxpayer-subsidized insurance through the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program." BING BING! We have a winner!