General Sheehan does us a service today by explaining why he refused to become the nations "war czar" and probably explains why we are in such trouble in Iraq more succinctly than most commentators:

The day-to-day work of the White House implementation manager overseeing Iraq and Afghanistan would require a great deal of emotional and intellectual energy resolving critical resource issues in a bureaucracy that, to date, has not functioned well. Activities such as the current surge operations should fit into an overall strategic framework. There has to be linkage between short-term operations and strategic objectives that represent long-term U.S. and regional interests, such as assured access to energy resources and support for stable, Western-oriented countries. These interests will require a serious dialogue and partnership with countries that live in an increasingly dangerous neighborhood. We cannot "shorthand" this issue with concepts such as the "democratization of the region" or the constant refrain by a small but powerful group that we are going to "win," even as "victory" is not defined or is frequently redefined.

"Strategy" is a word often ill-used when talking about what has happened in Iraq.  As General Sheehan observes, strategy is not merely how many troops you throw into the fight and when and where, but the long term plan that provides the link between your overarching political, diplomatic and military goals and what you're doing with the troops on the ground.  Where there is none, none will be found. 

This makes sense.  Newt Gingrich came up with the idea for a "war czar."  Anybody else remember some other brilliant ideas Newt's come up with that the White House and Pentagon have acted on? 

Here's one:  When Donald Rumsfeld was looking for a new idea for how to invade Iraq, Newt hooked him up with a guy who advocated driving straight to Baghdad and then holding the city with something like 5000 men?  Okay, we didn't do that but you can't tell me it didn't have some influence on Rumsfeld's constant meddling in war planning and his overarching insistence on a ridiculously small invasion force.   

Companies pulling their advertisements from the Imus show due to its host's latest racist remarks is the corporate equivalent of Claude Raines declaring he's shocked, shocked to find gambling going on at Rick's place.  Frankly, I'm mystified as to why this particular utterance as opposed to tens of thousands of others over the years suddenly makes Imus radioactive, surely his producer McGuirk says more inflammatory things on a hourly basis, but so be it. 

Hey, why do I get the feeling that we're going to suddenly see stories on the 24 hour cable news channels about whether "shock jocks" are being treated unfairly due to society's long running collapse into silly political correctness?  Or is that so 5 years ago, or something?

I just wanted to say that I'm tired of hearing stories like this.  Another young man, funny, smart and well-liked by everyone in his community, dead.  For what?  Nobody really knows.

Okay, I don't have any idea how many subpoena's Henry Waxman has issued trying to get information from the Bush Administration, but its a bit beyond the pale for the (hard) Right Hon. Dan Burton (R-IN) to bitch about how Democrats, Waxman specifically, are abusing their subpoena power.  

If memory serves, Indianapolis' favorite cranky cousin made a name for himself as the head of the Government Oversight and Reform committee during the Clinton years where he not only showed himself a thorough investigator by taking 140+ hours of testimony on whether the White House Christmas list had been used for political purposes, but also personally reenacted the "suicide" of Vince Foster using a watermelon and a .38.  Not to be outdone, he also proceeded to issue nearly 1100 subpoenas of the Clinton White House which is probably a record in its own right since they all happened in Clinton's second four year term.  Remember a month ago when there was an uproar about claims of executive privilege and how presidential aides never testify before Congress, yet there'd been something like 61 in the last 60 years?  Well, at least 25 to 30 of those aides worked for Bill Clinton and me thinks most of them appeared at one time or other before Dan Burton's committee.  Anyway, nothing to see here folks!

I think Ruth Marcus misses something in this piece which is Fred Fielding's reputation as a dealmaker long rested on representing people who not only recognized their own fallibility but also understood the concept of compromise and actually pursued it when it was necessary to move things forward.  He currently represents that kid you remember from the playground who hogged the basketball and wouldn't let you play anything else but his game... you know, the jerk who constantly wanted to play best 2 out of 3, etc. everytime he lost at HORSE until you just said screw it?

A couple weekends ago I was struck by something my brother-in-law said.  I was telling him about Rajiv Chandrasekaren's Imperial Life in the Emerald City, and he remarked that there was once a time that there was a sense that we as a country could accomplish really big things but now it seems we can't do anything, even the little things, right. 

I thought of this when I read this little tidbit in the Washington Post, "3 Generals Spurn the Position of War Czar."  Since the current administration doesn't exactly know what it's doing in Iraq and is having an increasingly hard time bringing Afghanistan to heel, they've decided to try the next best thing:  appointing a "high-powered czar" to oversee the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan"?   

Talk about a the perverse "Great Man of History" notion of how things work, but even the people they're approaching know that it's the equivalent of the Captain of the Titanic looking for a new senior officer as everyone else is scrambling for the boats. 

Update (4/11/07):  Atrios nominates Joe Lieberman for the post.

Death by leak. Only a total traitor or someone throwing the Judge overboard would let these explosive words get out:

At a recent "prep" for a prospective Sunday talk-show interview, Gonzales's performance was so poor that top aides scrapped any live appearances. During the March 23 session in the A.G.'s conference room, Gonzales was grilled by a team of top aides and advisers—including former Republican National Committee chair Ed Gillespie and former White House lawyer Tim Flanigan—about what he knew about the plan to fire seven U.S. attorneys last fall. But Gonzales kept contradicting himself and "getting his timeline confused," said one participant who asked not to be identified talking about a private meeting. His advisers finally got "exasperated" with him, the source added. "He's not ready," Tasia Scolinos, Gonzales's public-affairs chief, told the A.G.'s top aides after the session was over, said the source. Asked for comment, Scolinos told NEWSWEEK: "This was the first session of this kind that we'd done."

Holy crap.  Who leaked this?

Or it could be the old Rove game--lower expectations so low that a middling performance buoys the coverage. The problem is that this isn't a debate. News editors will choose which parts of the Gonzales testimony will get on the evening news. And with Bush's popularity levels near historic lows for any president, the money call in news is that scandals sell papers, especially where hated men are at their core. Don't look for the Judge's soon-to-be selfless falling on his sword to abate the pressure.

From My Letters to America

Small Pieces Fly Easier to Heaven

In grammar, the subjunctive mood (sometimes referred to as the conjunctive mood) is a verb mood that exists in many languages. It typically expresses wishes, commands (in subordinate clauses), emotion, possibility, judgement, necessity, and statements that are contrary to fact at present. The details of subjunctive use vary from language to language.

Real Life example from Alberto Gonzales interview with NBC's Pete Williams:

I would never have asked for their resignations to interfere with a public corruption case or in any way to interfere with an ongoing investigation.  I just wouldn't do that.  And if you look carefully at the documentations we've provided to Congress, there's no evidence of that.

That's right--he never says he didn't do it. He says he wouldn't. That's not the same thing.

Extra bonus interesting stuff:

Pete Williams: Mr. Attorney General, what is it that you would like people to know about this controversy?

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales: Let me begin with the attacks on my credibility, which really have pained me and my family.  You know, I have grown up — I grew up with nothing but my integrity.  And someday, when I leave this office, I am confident that I will leave with my integrity.  The United States attorneys that were asked — to resign — were appointed by this president, they serve, like me, at the pleasure of the president.

I asked for their resignation not for improper reasons.  I would never have asked for their resignations to interfere with a public corruption case or in any way to interfere with an ongoing investigation. 

Pete Williams never brought up interference with a public corruption case, motherfucker.

but your eyes say: "folding next Friday night about 4:30 when a deal for testimony is announced." The first crow is for the true believers.  Once set as supporters by his foot-stomping decider talk, they won't convert back unless they physically are in the room when the President admits wrongdoing.

Oh yeah, its called a smoking gun.

Fired San Diego U.S. attorney Carol Lam notified the Justice Department that she intended to execute search warrants on a high-ranking CIA official as part of a corruption probe the day before a Justice Department official sent an e-mail that said Lam needed to be fired, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Sunday.

Feinstein, D-Calif., said the timing of the e-mail suggested that Lam's dismissal may have been connected to the corruption probe.

Now we are talking.  This is the real deal baby.  And just the tip of the iceberg.  Let's put our guesses on the table.  Rove with the all-out program to win the 2006 elections using the U.S. Attorneys in the study with the lead pipe.