It is hard to find humor, irony or politry in a world stumbling toward disaster, but midst stories of worsening wars and bloody ceasefires The Washington Post reviews a powerful political polemic. Senator Dorgan’s Take This Job and Ship it makes the case that “good for the economy� can be disastrous for ordinary people, and [...]

Bush bungles some, botches others, leaves everything he touches a big, expensive mess. Today’s papers cover Israel, Lebanon, Bolton, Hezbollah, Baghdad, and Homeland Security. Any one of these would make a poem, but all at once made me numb. So you are on your own.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki addressed a joint session of congress and spelled out his country’s needs. He reminded them that Iraq is a front line in Bush’s war on terror, but didn’t mention that he’s in charge of when we can bring our troops home. According to Bush, until al-Maliki’s guys stand up, ours [...]

Rice flies to Beirut to present a plan, many days after the war began, to propose ideas already rejected, not to discuss what Arabs expected. She’s wedded to Bush foreign policy: if war doesn’t work try diplomacy. Israel thinks they can win with attack, of course we agree, we’re still in Iraq.

At a news conference in London, today, the British Prime Minister summarized plans for Lebanon: “There have been as you might expect over the past few days enormous diplomatic efforts to get us to the point where I hope at some point within the next few days we can say very clearly what our plan [...]

Senator George Voinovich single-handedly kept John Bolton from being confirmed as ambassador to the UN, so John got an interim appointment. Now the fuss is over, George will vote for John. As usual, Ohio’s senior senator asserts himself to establish independent credentials, then quietly steps back in line. He doesn’t seem to notice that Bolton [...]

Lindsey impeached one Clinton supports another – man of principle?

Bush loves life until it’s born. Then he cares about medical expense.

The fight over stem cell research tends to pit hypocrites against each other. Pros think it may cure disease, but often oppose universal health care as too costly, though it would prevent more suffering. Cons believe life is sacred, but generally favor capital punishment, though innocent people may be put to death. Limiting discussion to [...]

Bush has problems in the middle east the far east and in eastern Europe, but first he has to deal with real enemies – the senate, the house and the judiciary. His swagger slowed to a shamble, he can’t muster much of a bluster. Though he would like to get rid of this burden, he [...]

As Bush shuffled to the G8 conference crises sprang up behind him like hogweed. Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, were joined by Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, and a brand new spat with Russia. It’s time for the decider to become a fixer.

Four political pros are creating a “civil� web site, called Hot Soup – supposedly to suggest a tasty mix of ingredients. They expect high-toned conversation, but the subjects likely will be Bush’s incompetence, prevarication, arrogance. Since these guys are smart, and hope to make some money, I suspect the name is really mean to suggest [...]

Some say a glass is half full some say it’s half empty Bush says it’s a bucket. He is Mr. T. Everything good results from his tax cuts, everything bad from terrorism. He has the gall to say things are better because they aren’t as bad as he predicted.

Pennsylvania’s two term senator struggles to convince voters they should read a booklet: 50 Things You May Not Know about Rick Santorum. Unfortunately for rock-ribbed Rick, everyone knows two things about him – he supports Bush 98% of the time, and is as close to K Street lobbyists as Tom DeLay. Fortunately for the rest [...]

Abramoff sullied Reed, and Tom Delay. Sent Safavian to jail and maybe Robert Ney. And best, left Norquist twisting in the wind. If he frees Congress from Grover’s grip, the deficit could disappear at a rapid clip and land Jack in the liberal hall of fame.

Jamie Rubin, spokesperson for Clinton’s State department, offers Democrats a strategy for victory. In The New York Times he proposes redeploying troops to Afghanistan. Don’t debate what constitutes “cut and run.� Democrats should propose a resolution to “go back and win� the original war on terror.

“North Korea is firing missiles. Iran is going nuclear. Somalia is controlled by radical Islamists. Iraq isn’t getting better, and Afghanistan is getting worse.” William Kristol, a leading conservative commentator quoted in The Washington Post, July 6, 2006.

Whether by strategy or stumble, Bush has found a way to stick Democrats with the blame for no immigration bill. He’ll adopt the House enforcement-only approach, with a few face-saving “triggers,� and let them vote it down in the Senate. They could accept the same face-savers, but they’re so sure not passing a bill helps [...]

Congress did not declare war, they authorized the use of military force – so Bush should stop claiming war powers. He should also stop calling everyone who’s phone he taps, or bank records he snoops, a terrorist based on circumstantial evidence. By that standard every politician is a crook – they all take contributions and [...]