We're Winning In Iraq ...and monkeys are flying out of my butt. Convicted fraudster and former Pentagon ally Ahmad Chalabi received less than 1% in Baghdad. The neo-conservatives of the American Enterprise Institute were predicting 5% for Chalabi (their overwhelming favorite) and 20% for Allawi; that's proof enough they have no clue about what's going on in Iraq. Bush's new Iraq is pro-Iran. It will not recognize Israel. And it wants the Americans out; one of the first measures of an emerging, powerful parliamentary alliance between roughly 38 Sadrists of Shi'ite nationalist cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and roughly 50 Sunni Arabs will be to call for an immediate end of the occupation. Read It:

Russell Baker on Spygate: Just the Facts So let's talk about facts. And keep the discussion on them. What exactly was the problem with the prior set-up whereby the administration had to clear domestic eavesdropping cases with a special Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court within 72 hours of launching said surveillance? In other words, the government can eavesdrop first and get a warrant retroactively. Under what conditions was that not sufficient to guard our national security? Read It:

President and Kingmaker This weekend, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made waves by claiming the holocaust never happened. In October, he claimed that Israel was a "disgraceful blot" that should be "wiped off the map". Sheesh...What a wingnut. At the time when President Bush claimed that Iran, Iraq, and North Korea were an "axis of evil", Iran actually had been moving toward reconciliation with the west for several years. After that brilliant, bellicose David Frum masterpiece, Iranian voters elected Bush's doppelganger, Ahmadinejad, to power. What do the Iranian hardliners have to say? THANKS MR. BUSH! Tehran's conservative intelligence minister, Ali Yunesi, publicly thanked Bush for his remarks, which were repeatedly broadcast by state television during election day. Bush's statement against the elections was even used by Ahmadinejad to denounce his rival in the run-off, former President Ali Hashemi Rafsanjani, who had said Tehran should explore a dialogue with Washington. Read It: George W. Bush: The Greatest Poster Boy Islamic Extremism Ever Had

Meet Sophia Born December 6th. A beautiful baby girl! ...The reason I haven't written for a while, and the reason why I'm back at it...She deserves a father who will fight for her future.

The Congo Solution In Iraq Officially, the Bush Administration is idealistic about its mission in Iraq. Its long term vision, as stated in the National Strategy for Victory in Iraq is to continue the occupation until Iraq "....is peaceful, united, stable, and secure, well integrated into the international community, and a full partner in the global war on terrorism". Perhaps it's time to question the basic assumption that a free, secure Iraq is actually in the best interests of President Bush's most powerful supporters...Do they have a vested interest in creating chaos, rather than eliminating it? Based upon the tremendous success of U.S. multinationals operating in failed states like Liberia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Equatorial Guinea, there is significant incentive on the part of the oil industry to keep Iraq unstable. Here are some of the advantages of operating in a failed state for multinationals: a. no taxes b. no human rights issues c. no environmental or worker safety regulations d. no controlling legal authority to monitor transactions e. no shortage of mercenaries willing to provide security for your business. In Africa, companies like Bridgestone/Firestone have been making billions while operating in a regulation-free, low wage paradise. In the Congo, companies like Barrick Gold operate under the secure canopy provided by MPRI, America's most powerful mercenary organization. The Congo solution, a form of neocolonialism, is taking shape in Iraq. Those who are making billions from the chaos don't want it to stop.

Quote of the Day: Some Christians seem to me inclined to lose track of love, compassion and mercy. I don't think I have any special brief to go around judging them, but when the stink of hypocrisy becomes so foul in the nostrils it makes you start to puke it becomes necessary to point out there is one more good reason to observe the separation of church and state: If God keeps hanging out with politicians, it's gonna hurt his reputation. -Molly Ivins Read It: