- The battle for the 'Hearts and Minds' took a shot (although unavoidable) yesterday.

Fourteen members of one family have been killed in a US air strike that destroyed a house in northern Iraq, an Iraqi official has said.

- The Israeli-Palestinian dispute in Gaza and over the elections remains ripe. The Senate has expressed concern and 'ordered' Abbas to refuse Hamas eligibility in Palestine. It's a funny thing how American Democracy works. We said nothing as the Muslim Brothers and Hezbollah gained in recent elections in Egypt and Lebanon. But Israel, and her thirst for more space in Palestine, holds strings in American politics, enough for Senators to call for the exclusion of Hamas and with it the credibility of the coming democratic cycle. Why the Israeli or American politicians think meddling will soften support for Hamas, PIJ, et cetera is beyond me. Seems they should trap them into democracy and begin to solve the problem with words rather than assignations, car bombs, bulldozers, and walls.

- A new book looks at the 'cherry-picking' of info that mislead the public and congress into Iraq. (Never once did they even come close to misleading me. To me it was a no-brainer. Few believed me. Me. Me, me. Me)

- The Iraqi oil minister who was given a vacation to pave the way for Chalabi to hold some power (and self-respect) in the new Iraqi government submitted his official resignation yesterday. He was troubled by the new policies and how they failed to benefit the poor. With Chalabi in, the poor can expect some price gouging and, unless someone wishes to argue otherwise, unexplained disappearing funds.

- Units in the SC National Guard had to leave $50 million worth of Bradley Fighting Vehicles, heavy transport trucks, Humvees, radios, weapons, tools and other equipment in Iraq. it is unclear whether it will be returned in any way.

- Bush was against governing based on poll numbers, before he was for it. Flip-flop???
Before, 13 December 2005:

QUESTION: So what does that say about the hill that you have to climb?

MCCLELLAN: A couple things. Let me first correct you in terms of saying that we don’t ever look at polls. We don’t govern based on polls. The president does not govern based on polls. The president governs based on a clear set of principles and a clear set of beliefs. [WH Press Briefing, 12/13/05]

Today, responding to why Bush is justified in continuing to conduct an illegal wiretapping program:

MCCLELLAN: I think that clearly the American people strongly support the efforts that we are undertaking to save their lives. I think there actually was a poll last week that said 60 percent — more than 60 percent of the American people support the actions the president is taking to prevent attacks from happening in the first place. That is what this president is committed to doing. This is about saving lives.

And the right still doesn't get it. Most people have no problem with legal wiretapping, it's the illegal, above the law wiretapping that is a problem. Reword the question correctly and I'll bet a lunch at the local restaurant of your choice that the results would be a lot different.

I guess that might be why Scotty's mommy is running back towards the left.

Posted by Geoff