More Odds and Ends

I've got a lot of stuff I wanna write about later, but first a few more news snippets...

With the focus here in America on our upcoming election, The Washington Note's Steve Clemons has a good look beyond our borders at some upcoming elections overseas that has relevance to current U.S. policy... in Pakistan, Iran, Cuba, and Russia. Well worth reading.

Speaking of Pakistan: "British detectives said Friday that Benazir Bhutto was killed by the force of a suicide bomb and not gunfire, backing the Pakistani government's controversial account of how the opposition leader died." This is certainly an unexpected finding.

Moving to the Middle East, a Daily Kos blogger has a good post on the failure of the surge to achieve the real progress-- security and political-- promised. But hey, it achieved its real goal... putting the GOP back on offense on the issue. One report she links to notes our soldiers are "tired, worn thin ... and unlikely to come home in large numbers anytime soon." Mission Permanent occupation accomplished!

And here's an old story reminding us that Iraq was just one more free market to manipulate.

Finally, economic sign of the times: "Euros Accepted" signs pop up in New York City