"This is like prewar Iraq all over again," said David Albright, a former nuclear inspector who is president of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security. "You have an Iranian nuclear threat that is spun up, using bad information that's cherry-picked and a report that trashes the inspectors."

The committee report, written by a single Republican staffer with a hard-line position on Iran, chastised the CIA and other agencies for not providing evidence to back assertions that Iran is building nuclear weapons.

Maybe they're not providing the evidence because according to everyone in intel and at IAEA, they're not building them.

U.N. Inspectors Dispute Iran Report By House Panel - washingtonpost.com

President Bush acknowledged Friday that it could take time for the people of Lebanon and the world to view the war between Israel and Hezbollah as a loss for the militant group.

"The first reaction of course of Hezbollah and its supporters is to declare victory. I guess I would have done the same thing if I were them," Bush said after a meeting with his economic advisers.

How about they declared victory because they won. Does Hezbollah still exist? Yes. In force? Yes, maybe even more than before. With arms? Lots. With leadership? I haven't seen any reports that any senior leaders were killed. As a political force? Big time yes. Lebanon has united behind them for standing up to Israel.

In Crawford, at Camp David or at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, one constant is this administration with it's cranium firmly ensconced in its alimentary canal.

USATODAY.com - Bush: Hezbollah loss helps stability

"I think if you think of what's happening in Lebanon and Israel right now, you see the face of the beginning of the 21st century," Mr. Rumsfeld said in a radio interview on Aug. 2.

And that face would be a state of constant war? That sounds like a pretty crappy century to me.

Bush and Condi clash over Israel

Once considered to be Iraq’s worst enemy, Iran has now created, financed and armed the Shiite Islamic movements within southern Iraq. Since the Iraqi Parliamentary elections of 2005, the Shiites have made considerable political gains and now have substantial influence over the country’s U.S.-created military, its police, and the central government in Baghdad. In addition, Iraq is developing economic ties with Iran that Galbraith believes could soon link the two countries’ strategic oil supplies.

That sounds about right. Iraq and Iran have historically been opposed, but a civil war between the Shiites and Sunnis gives a religious edge to this where the Iranians can support the Shiites at basically no cost to themselves. And if we oppose them, we're in opposition to the main group in that "unity government."

Heckuva job Georgie.

Ambassador claims shortly before invasion, Bush didn't know there were two sects of Islam

Over breakfast at the Ritz-Carlton, Franklin told the two lobbyists about a draft of a top-secret National Security Presidential Directive that dealt with U.S. policy on Iran. Crafted by Michael Rubin, the desk officer for Iraq and Iran in Feith's office, the document called, in essence, for regime change in Iran.

Two and a half wars now, do I hear three? Read the rest of the article too. Rolling Stone may be a "rock" magazine, but they're actually paying attention while the rest of the media practices the teachings of the Colbert school of journalism.

Rolling Stone : Iran: The Next War

The Bush administration is rushing a delivery of precision-guided bombs to Israel, which requested the expedited shipment last week after beginning its air campaign against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, The New York Times reported on Saturday.

I can see this going over well with the Lebanese and Palestinians...

US rushes precision-guided bombs to Israel: NYTimes - Yahoo! News

But diplomats focus particularly on an area with less evidence of instructions from Washington and more of Mr. Bolton’s personal touch, the mission that he has described as his priority: overhauling the institution’s discredited management. Envoys say he has in fact endangered that effort by alienating traditional allies. They say he combatively asserts American leadership, contests procedures at the mannerly, rules-bound United Nations and then shrugs off the organization when it does not follow his lead.

Back to the original thought, John Bolton must go.

Bolton’s Ways Foil Goals, Envoys Say - New York Times

John Bolton, U.N. Ambassador: "The notion that you just declare a cease fire and act as if that is going to solve the problem, I think is simplistic. Among other things. I want somebody to address the problem on how you get a cease-fire with a terrorist organization."

It's pretty easy. The Israelis have been doing it for decades, so have the Brits, the Indians (if W or Bolton is reading this, that's the Indians from India, not the Indians that run casinos over here) have as well in their ongoing feud with Pakistan (and vice-cersa). Actually, there is a very long list of people who have had cease fires with "terrorists."

Is it simplistic? Sort of, but we've had a cease fire with North Korea for 50+ years now and while things are not buddy-buddy, they've been reasonably stable. It seems that the only people who DON'T know how to talk are the ones strategerizing in the executive branch.

Bolton Walks Out Of Meeting With French

US Ambassador John Bolton said there was no moral equivalence between the civilian casualties from the Israeli raids in Lebanon and those killed in Israel from "malicious terrorist acts".

Really? Why not? People who are doing nothing but minding their own business are blown to bits by rockets raining down from above. I fail to see what the difference is other than the fact that one side shooting rockets is an explicit state agent and the other isn't.

Lebanon civilian deaths morally not same as terror victims -- Bolton - Yahoo! News

Morales also said the state would retake control of Bolivian hydrocarbons companies that were privatized in the 1990s, with the state taking over shares in the hands of foreign companies and of semipublic Bolivian entities.

Looks like Morales is tired of "outsourcing." And the picture with the article is perfect, Morales, Chavez and of all people Fidel Castro. It remains to be seen what effect this will have, but my first guess is, oil is going to accelerate towards $80 a barrel.

Morales Nationalizes Natural Gas Industry - Yahoo! News