We'll Leave It Worse Than We Found It

"We set out to establish a democracy, but we're slowly realizing we will have some form of Islamic republic."

Link.

Look for your conservative friends to complain that this is all due to liberal dissent and obstruction.

This isn't the fault of the liberals. The neo-cons went into Iraq under false pretenses with no plan. And when we eventually get out, Iraq will be worse off than it was pre-invasion. Saddam was no doubt a bad guy, but at least he kept his government secular. Now we're looking at some form of militant Islamic rule.

Goodbye, Corvette

I'm saying goodbye to my baby. One mechanical problem too many, coupled with the insane incentives they're giving people to buy cars now, made me reassess having an impractical sports car around. I pick up a new Dodge 1500 pickup tomorrow. The incentives to buy are insane right now. I could afford to get a lot more truck for my money, once they knocked off $8K or so from the price because of $3,500 cash incentives and another $4K and change for the "employee discount."

The best part of this is that I'll have something new to commute with, plus I'll be able to pull a trailer and have something to take on the beach.

Here Comes the Smear!

Well, the business about Cindy Sheehan flip-flopping didn't work, so it's obviously time for the Republican camp to try something else. Evidently, that "something else" comes in the form of an alleged e-mail sent to Matt Drudge by another member of Casey Sheehan's family, saying the family does not support Cindy's point of view and wants her to stop. Republican talking points seem to be all over this one, including in the following sentence: "The rest of the Sheehan Family supports the troops, our country, and our President, silently, with prayer and respect."

Who wants to take bets on which Republican hack ghost-wrote this puppy?

Baghdad Mayor Ousted by Shiite Militia

It's an armed coup! Armed men entered a Baghdad municipal building Monday, deposed Baghdad Mayor Alaa al-Tamimi, and installed a member of the Badr organization (the militia arm of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq). al-Tamimi is in hiding, in fear of his life. He was originally appointed by Paul Bremer.

Major drivers behind this act? According to one of the people organizing the ouster of al-Tamimi, it has to do with distribution of oil revenue and economic factors, including Baghdad's budget allocations.

I don't suppose I need to point out that SCIRI wants Islamic law. One wonders if one "unintended consequence" of the war will be that we take a secular government and turn it into an Islamic one, with Islamic militants who might otherwise be considered terrorists in official government positions of authority. Wonderful.