Why does Craig resign but Vitter stay?

Link Because the Republicans are anti-gay. Rhyme unintended.

Barney Frank on closeted gay republicans

Not sure how long this will stay up on YouTube. Doesn't look like it's sponsored. Note how it goes in and out of focus. Looks like it was taken with a cell phone. Or perhaps this is done purposely to foil automatic copyright detection.

Junior officers question wisdom of Generals

Link Wonder what my HS classmate -- who last I heard is an army major -- really thinks. Of course, I may never find out.

Iraq war unlike others

Link W says withdrawal will make it like Vietnam. Historians say otherwise.

Ungrateful heart patient fines doctor who saved his life

Link What a f*cking bastard.

Sleasy Countrywide steered customers to ruinous loans

Link Loans with huge prepayment penalties. Unconscionable.

Demand for biofuels causes forest clearing

Link And so it might be net negative for global warming.

Mine and heavy industry take human cost in China

Link Scores of dead and injured in two separate accidents.

US Army Soldiers in Iraq write insightful opinion on NYT

Link In short, they say the Americans should step aside.

Iraq Parliament takes summer off

AmericaBlog.com creates an ironic spot and posts on YouTube

Last few hundred years of evolution civilized humans

Link Shit. I wouldn't have thought such a short time scale could impact genetics significantly. But a theory is presented which the rich English tended to survive in greater numbers and these were the more literate and non-violent folks which allowed the industrial revolution to happen.

Supposed positive uptick in Iraq (Updated)

Link The supposedly non-partisan Brookings Institution sent two of their people, O'Hanlon and Pollack, to investigate the situation in Iraq and they gave a positive report to latest measures.

But Salon's Greenwald disputes (link) the validity of the opinion of these two particular academics who actually were particularly hawkish at the war's start, and appear now trying to salvage any shred of value in their plan gone awry.

Canadian Liberal critiques Iraq reasoning

Link A quote from the article (emphasis mine):
"Good judgment in politics, it turns out, depends on being a critical judge of yourself. It was not merely that the president did not take the care to understand Iraq. He also did not take the care to understand himself. The sense of reality that might have saved him from catastrophe would have taken the form of some warning bell sounding inside, alerting him that he did not know what he was doing. But then, it is doubtful that warning bells had ever sounded in him before. He had led a charmed life, and in charmed lives warning bells do not sound."

Money scarce

Link I wonder how this is going to turn out. Probably badly. I don't think I've been through something like this. But at least I'm not on an adjustable loan that can't be refinanced because my asset is worth less than the loan.

Stack the Supreme court

Link I noticed this Op-ed some time back and finally came back to read it. As with anything, it's a two edged sword. But, hmmm...