Linkmeister

Foolishness, courage, and bucks

Oh my. If you're not a fan of President Bush, this will amuse you; if you are a fan, don't click it unless you have an ability to laugh ruefully. It's an animated primer on how to refer to the Iraqi people. (Link courtesy of Scott).

The Foreign Service officer resignation count is now up to three. A thirty-year career tossed overboard protesting American policies, because she "cannot defend or implement them." That act takes courage, particularly since she has to know the President and his advisers won't take this as a further sign of their errors, but merely another dumb gesture by a bureaucrat.

So the Administration requested $74.7B for war and related expenses, and expressed surprise that lawmakers were "unexpectedly inquisitive" about the costs. In a sign of the way Iraq may be left, just as Afghanistan has been, the "$8 billion for international relief and reconstruction includes $3.5 billion for Iraq ($2.5 billion in a relief fund and much of the rest for oil field repair)". The balance of the $8B goes to other countries for their "help" in Iraq or fighting terrorism. That puts the lie to what the President has been saying about building democracy and reconstructing the country after its liberation, at least so far. We'll see.