(Not under politics because I think we can all agree that regardless of why, Iraq’s potential upside is infinately improved with Hussein gone, and the promise of democracy two months away)

Iraq’s Health Agency is back in Iraqi control. What a difference a year makes! Saddam only provided $16 million for health care in his 2002 budget, a wretchedly low sum that should again prompt questions about how the (dig edited out) Oil-for-Food — program was operated. In FY 2004, however, the health budget received an enormous 60-fold increase, providing $948 million for 26 million Iraqis. At the end of the war, Iraq possessed only 300 tons of pharmaceuticals on hand. Compare this to the 35,000 tons of drugs distributed this year alone, a total that notably includes 30 million doses of children’s vaccinations.

(Don’t read the extended note if you just want to revel in the good vibe on Iraq)

here (it’s Rich Lowry, he of fistfight with Al Franken fame)

- Clarke agrees with the assessment of the Bush team that his proposals for action in Afghanistan — aiding the Northern Alliance, flying the Predator, etc. — would not have prevented 9/11. …

- Clarke agrees with the argument — made repeatedly by conservatives over the years — that the CIA had been beaten into a defensive crouch by its critics. …

- Clarke seems to agree with a point often made by Clinton critics: that it was foolish in the 1990s to make the FBI the lead agency in the fight against terrorism since, as an after-the-fact domestic law enforcement agency, it was manifestly not up to the task. …

- Clarke emphasizes the need for preemption. He explained, “One of the things I would hope comes out of your commission report is a change — a recommendation for a change in the attitude of government about threats; that we be able to act on threats that we foresee, even if acting requires boldness and requires money and requires changing the way we do business, that we act on threats in the future before they happen.” …

- Clarke apparently sees the need for more domestic surveillance in the U.S., advocating doing the Patriot Act one better and creating a domestic intelligence agency. …

- Clarke apparently agrees that law enforcement is an inappropriate paradigm for fighting. … He was, for instance, frustrated when the Clinton administration called in the FBI to confirm Iraqi involvement in the attempted assassination of the first President Bush in early 1993, creating an unnecessary delay. …

- Clarke defends the idea of acting even when the intelligence is uncertain, especially when WMDs are potentially involved.

So his beefs with the Bush Administration boil down to: 1) GWB cutting him out of the loop in favor of daily briefings by the Director of Central Intelligence (which WJC had stopped getting early in his terms), and 2) GWB asked him to double check if Iraq might have been involved in 9/11.

AmEx has a new web-based ad campaign featuring Jerry Seifeld and Superman in a short film. It’s typical Seinfeld, so it’s a little funny.

Take this quiz?@ to determine which of about 50 fantasy characters you are.

Today’s reason: a historical review.

First, here’s a scandal review of Republicans over the last four years. Most of them deal with Bush and his administration directly, but all of them are indicative of the absurdity of conservative politic worship that is happenning.

Second is an ‘untruth’ review (and in pdf form[) that covers all the times Bush and his people didn’t tell the truth (but we won’t say they lied) about Iraq’s threat to the world. (Yes, I realize these jerks are using my tax dollars to fund their attack on Bush.)

So this dude does some research and finds out that Sen. John Kerry was at a Vietnam Vets Against the War meeting at which the assassination of pro-war Senators was discussed.

Suddenly, his files come up missing.

Could the Democrats have their own gang of theives working for them this year, much like Nixon in 1972? Congress should investigate.

Since these puppies

are going to be flying around DC any day now.

BTW – look out for your dog “Absolutely everything that can stuff them into their mouths will try to feed on cicadas,” says John Cooley, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Connecticut who studies periodicals. “Dogs and cats tend to eat more than they should, so they can get horribly constipated,” he adds. “The exoskeletons are hard to digest.”

NY Post

Part of it echoes the Salam Pax video linked to here a while back (couldn’t find the link, sorry), in saying Iraqis are taking advantage of modern technology to give voice to their newfound freedom. One such site shows Iraqi women demonstrating … (They) were exercising their right of free speech to demonstrate for women’s rights – were dressed in very conservative Muslim fashion. Yet, as one of them put it: “We didn’t wait all these years without the most basic rights to be denied them now.” … likeminded Iraqi women – and men – are making it clear they expect basic rights. People are listening. Not only did this pressure force the repeal of Resolution 137 (which threatened women’s rights), but, when the new Iraqi interim constitution was signed March 8, it contained assurances of equal rights – and substantial representation – for women.”

… LAST March, Iraqis were suffering under the thumb of one of the most brutal dictatorships of the last hundred years – a regime that industrialized brutality, tortured children to coerce their parents and raped women to punish their relatives. A U.S. Army commander in Iraq told me last July about the excavation of one mass grave where they discovered remains of 80 women and children – with little dresses and toys.

Today, Iraq’s era of systematic savagery is over. Thanks to the dedication and courage of American and Coalition military and civilians, the support of the U.S. Congress and the American people, life in Iraq is improving steadily:

* Electricity reached pre-war levels last October, and is on track to reach 150 percent of pre-war levels, despite an infrastructure devastated by Saddam.

* Oil production has reached 2.5 million barrels per day, well ahead of projections.

* Funding for public health care is up 26 times the level under Saddam. … Today, Iraqis who are fighting and dying for the “New Iraq” are numerically the largest member of the Coalition. While they are not as well-trained or equipped as American forces, they have many advantages because they know the country and the language. They’re the “home team” and enjoy tremendous popular support – to the terrorists’ frustration.”

Forget Hillary. Forget Jeb.

2008 will be owned by Ventura/Barkley.

This is a good thing, if only for the press conferences. I may have to start raising money.