Friday Morning Round-Up

It has been a long time since I did one of these, and today seems perfect. I have an insanely busy day ahead of me, and far too much to do to blog properly about everything that has me fired up this morning, so I'm going to hit the highlights here and offer links.

From the Politico:

The historian who was cited by Bush as he addressed the VFW earlier in the week in an attempt to draw parallels between Japan and Iraq angrily pushed back.

“They [war supporters] keep on doing this,” said MIT professor John Dower. “They keep on hitting it and hitting it and hitting it and it’s always more and more implausible, strange and in a fantasy world. They’re desperately groping for a historical analogy, and their uses of history are really perverse.”(emphasis mine)

“I have always said as a historian that the use of Japan [in arguing for the likelihood of successfully bringing democracy to Iraq] is a misuse of history,” he said when notified of the Bush quote.

Ah well…The guy who has never had a real job can’t really be expected to respect another man's life’s work, can he?

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Via Think Progress:

Bill the Bloody (who has never served) was on Faux Noise this morning, avering that we should "stretch our Army and Marines" for "another year or so" in Iraq. “Is the cost of losing in Iraq great enough that we need to stretch our Army and Marines for another year or so,” asked Kristol rhetorically. “I think the President’s gonna make that decision.” (TP has video)

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Via CNN:

Ethically-challenged Republican congressman Rick Renzi of Arizona will not seek reelection. Renzi is the fifth GOP congressman to bail on the sinking GOP ship. He follows Deborah Pryce of Ohio, Ray LaHood of Illinois, . Chip Pickering of Mississippi and former house speaker Dennis Hastert who have announced that they will not seek reelection.

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Also from CNN:

Rudy has decided that if he is to have the merest vesper of scamming the American people into electing his phony and hypocritical ass to the White House, he has to buff the old image, because too many people see him for what he is: A craven opportunist with a shabby record and an embarrassment of a personal life.

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From the LA Times:

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Corps General Peter Pace, now on his way out after the DoD declined to renominate him, is now speaking up, advocating for a draw down in Iraq.

Administration and military officials say Marine Gen. Peter Pace is likely to convey concerns by the Joint Chiefs that keeping well in excess of 100,000 troops in Iraq through 2008 will severely strain the military. This assessment could collide with one being prepared by the U.S. commander in Iraq, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, calling for the U.S. to maintain higher troop levels for 2008 and beyond.

This sets up a potential clash between members of the top brass. Yet another feather in the cap of aWol's pathetic non-legacy.

And for the record...these round-up thingies are a lot easier when OPIT is blogging and offering his link-fests, rather than out doing mundane things like making a living. Hurry back, Opit! I'm lost without you!

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And now to the blogs...

Atrios has an absolutely withering takedown of Tom Friedmans self-puffing appearance on Charlie Rose earlier this week. I will be co-opting his “Moustache of Understanding” snark.

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Dan at A Blog Named Sue sat down and did a bit o' cypherin' and determined that there are well over a hundred thousand well-armed mercenaries in Iraq, and probably closer to two hundred thousand. These mercenaries are not beholden to the Geneva Conventions, nor to the UCMJ. Over a thousand of these mercs have lost their lives.

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I was going to blog about the personal outrage I feel at the fact that psycho-bitch Lisa Nowak is still a commissioned officer in the Navy, but I don't have to. My friend and co-conspirator in St. Louis, Angry Black Bitch, did a damned fine job of doing just that, so go read it. (You should be checking her every day anyway.)

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Badtux the Snarky Penguin has a nice, nostalgic trip down memory lane. It will be appreciated by everyone of a "certain age" - and he takes a swipe at M$M behemoth CBS in the process. Good stuff.

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And finally...the always-excellent Marc McDonald at Beggars Can Be Choosers has a great post that makes the case for ending the war by boycotting China. Click the first link, which goes to the blog, not just the article, and look around. The post below the one linked, about Faux Noise and how they blew their shot at relevancy, is a delight. (This is another blog you should be checking daily, btw.)

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There you go, folks. Plenty of links to follow until I return late this afternoon or early this evening - with kitties!