…and others don’t.

That’s what some in Washington seem to feel..

Hey, speak for yourself…

On the face of it, at least, this seems to be a top U.S. military official throwing cold water on the heated speculation about an American military attack on Iran: Military action against Iran would be fraught with risk and would have repercussions across the region, a leading American general conceded. “Any action militarily is very complicated,” Lt Gen Victor Renuart, the director of planning for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told The Daily Telegraph. “And any action by any country...

A new poll has come out marking the anniversary of a day that was considered a masterstroke in political imagery at the time — but in the future will likely be studied in political science classes as a monumental political blunder: Three years after President Bush declared major combat over in Iraq, Americans have strong doubts that the United States will fulfill the promise of his “Mission Accomplished” backdrop, a poll released Monday found. The CNN poll, conducted April 21-23...

John Podhoretz, writing in the Boston Herald, has a column almost pleading for the GOP to get someone to compete against Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton, whom he suggests will be the inevitable Democratic nominee. In a column titled “Republicans be warned: Someone must stop Hillary,” it’s clear that when he looks around the field he doesn’t like what he sees: Because Massachusetts is one shuttle stop away from New York – home to likely Democratic presidential nominee...

Senate Republicans’ idea to give $100 gas rebate checks to voters has failed to ignite — and has run out of political gas, according to the New York Times. Conservatives give it a thumbs down. Liberals give it a thumbs down. And the sheer idea of $100 impressing voters has become a laughline. To be sure: $100 is just about enough to fill an SUV once — or pay for a cup of coffee at Starbucks… The Senate Republican plan to mail $100 checks to voters to ease the burden of...

The White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten says it’s time for the administration to regain the momentum — and he outlined a variety of measures. One is sure to raise a firestorm of a controversy if it takes place: ending televised press briefings. If this happens, look for poll numbers to erode more since it will please Republicans and solidify Democratic and exiting independents support of the administration. The reason: it will be portrayed (and seen) as unabashed information control. Bolten’s...

Employees Wanted: Must be foreigner (but not an infidel) for high-energy job with explosive future. No retirement benefits offered (or needed). That might be the kind of ad Al Qaeda’s Iraqi bigwig Abu Musab al-Zarqawi might place — because he’s now reportedly facing an acute shortage of foreign suicide fighters (past employees have found they have to just kill themselves in that job). His solution? Look into creating his own guerilla army, which means having a force that could...

…there are street rallies and cyber-rallies today.

The scene: The White House Correspondent Dinner. The time: right after President George W. Bush put in a boffo performance next to a top-notch Bush impersonator. It was a hard act to follow. But Comedy Central‘s Stephen Colbert most assuredly followed it in his irony-heavy TV persona of a TV News talk show host that seems reminiscent of a Fox News host with the initials B.O. (or, rather B.O’R.) What followed was a study in contrasting satirical forms — the easier task with one...

Mexico’s Congress has softened its laws to allow possession of small amounts of drugs including cocaine and heroin for personal use– raising questions about how U.S.-Mexico drug operations will proceed. And it also raises another question: will Mexico’s softening of its drug laws cause a REAL “run to the border” by young Americans seeking to take advantage of a more drug-friendly climate? The change reportedly shocked some in Washington: MEXICO CITY — The Senate...

….will we see more stories like this? Polarization can become dangerous because it can activate the extremes on both sides.

You could safely file this in the “ominous rumblings” file from Israel (and you should definitely file it there if you’re a policymaker in Tehran): Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a psychopath and anti-Semite whose declarations resemble those of Adolf Hitler, Israeli acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in a newspaper interview on Saturday. “Ahmadinejad speaks today like Hitler before taking power,” Olmert told Germany’s Bild newspaper. “He speaks...

Some ask: Who needs them anymore?

“Yo.”

An interesting name for a post on the Rush Limbaugh saga: [Rich] White Men Can’t [Wear Orange] Jump [Suits]. But, then, what would we expect? It’s done by someone who TMV contends is one of the most original writers on any blog (of the left, right or center) The Talking Dog. As usual, he doesn’t mince words. But this time he doesn’t write it on his own blog — you can read it here on The American Street. But read it you must (he also gets the “juices” going...

From Maureen Dowd in The New York Times Times Select (paid): The Bush II hawks were determined to restore a Reaganesque muscular, “moral” foreign policy, as opposed to the realpolitik of Bush I. But with no solution in sight, Congress is pressing for some realpolitik. With W.’s blessing, lawmakers are sending his father’s old consigliere, James Baker, to Iraq to look for a way out.

This story has been out in various forms for a while now but in case you missed it, it alleges women for sale were given to a Congressman (and possibly other Congressmen) for sale: Federal authorities are investigating allegations that a California defense contractor arranged for a Washington area limousine company to provide prostitutes to convicted former congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-Calif.) and possibly other lawmakers, sources familiar with the probe said yesterday. In...

…of a major bombing more than 60 years ago. Dios mio…

A serious debate here.

Why isn’t this a big surprise? President Bush said Friday that taxing enormous oil industry profits is not the way to calm Americans’ anxieties about pain at the gas pump, and that his “inclination and instincts” are that major oil companies are not intentionally overcharging drivers. Bush’s remarks suggested the former Texas oilman is unlikely to take harsh action against oil companies despite public anger about the rising cost of fuel. Gasoline is averaging $2.92...

Once again it’s time for another gem from TMV’s favorite poet, Michael Silverstein, aka Wall Street Poet: American Politics (In 12 Words) American politics in sum: Republican ideas are dumb; And Democrats have none. Copyright 2006 Michael Silverstein

…is this.

Many readers couldn’t get onto some of their favorite blogs (many of them conservative) today due to a hack attack (which doesn’t refer to writing on blogs but an attack on the host, to clarify to the uninitiated). The operative theory: it was done by an Islamist group. Details here, here and here. Note: Read the links in each of those posts. Memeorandum has some more links here.