Iraq may have lost the power to shock. The Iraq invasion has been pursued by a strange sort of idealist—George W. Bush and his neocon followers, whose style of rule owes more to Trotskyism and even Communism than any administration of the last century.

Corruption scandals are exploding inside the administration and in the Republican Congress, and almost unimaginable waste and arrogance occurred under Paul Bremer and the CPA in Iraq.

[REVISED 11/29/2006]

Many Americans have lost perspective about the scale of killing in Iraq. Consider this recent report from Juan Cole:

“Reuters reports 77 killed in Iraq‘s civil war on Thursday. That total includes 38 bodies found in the streets of Baghdad. Also included are 3 GIs k.i.a.

Al-Hayat reports that in Najaf on Weds.-Thurs. night, 4 members of the Sadr Movement loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr were arrested, including one of his aides. Muqtada al-Sadr’s office said that the arrests were based on a misunderstanding and called for calm. The elected head of the Najaf provincial governing council complained that the arrests had been made without any prior contact with the council.

Patrick Cockburn argues that the Republic of Fear is back in Iraq, with widespread torture by death squads of their victims. Some of his interviewees in Baghdad are saying that the situation is worse than under Saddam.

Guerrillas are kidnapping drivers, then booby-trapping their cars and letting them go, then following them until they pass a checkpoint, at which point they hit the detonator button and . . . kablooie. I don’t think this can work for very long; the victims will find out about their predecessors and ditch the car.

The Italians have handed over military duties to the Iraqi army in Dhi Qar province, with its capital at Nasiriyah. The Italians will continue to contribute economic development assistance, but their military mission is over.”

People who have long been apologists for Bush and his war are still at it, hardly comprehending not only the shame of support for an unjust war but also the impossibility of “staying the course” and having any hope of calling that “victory.”

Leon Wieseltier wrote in the New Republic only last April:

“The best that can be said of George W. Bush is that he is a small man doing a big thing. And of the war, that good may still come of it. I told you, I have nothing useful to say.”

No, certainly not as useful as admitting the foolishness of support for any war in Iraq, not just whatever war in whatever place at whatever time. Joe Lieberman continues his moronic support for the war, while his anti-war opponent, Ned Lamont, has stirred real debate and already defeated Lieberman once. From the New York Times:

“Mr. Lieberman, who lost the Democratic primary to Mr. Lamont last month and is now running as an independent on his own line, has not backed off his support for the war and has emphasized the consequences if the United States pulls out too soon. He has repeatedly said that he does not favor an indefinite commitment in Iraq, but he has not offered a concrete alternative.

During his national security address last week, he did not mention Iraq, though he said he planned to do so in a separate speech this month.”

To counter the very logical arguments for withdrawal, Bill Kristol of the Weekly Standard argues to just send even more troops into Iraq:

“The truth is there are not enough ground forces in Iraq, and military officers are finally saying so in public.

The administration could respond to this obvious fact by sending more troops. Rather than do that, some military and civilian leaders are spinning: There are no more troops to send, they say.”

Helana Cobban, though, makes a very strong case for America withdrawing from Iraq:

“But what we do know, based on the trend-line from 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006 is that that the trend there has been that for every year the US troops stay in Iraq, the situation for the Iraqis becomes worse.– and we have no reason whatsoever at this point to expect any change in that trend. Plus, at some point, the US troops are going to have to withdraw, anyway.”

[photo: Getty]

Canada’s conservative Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, has declared:

“Let us be realistic. The challenges facing Afghanistan are enormous. There will be no quick fixes.
Moreover, success cannot be assured by military means alone. This we all recognize. For success also requires a strong and unwavering civilian contribution: educators, engineers, elections advisors; direct aid and technical assistance. The list is lengthy, but the contributions essential.”

[photo: AFP]

Jessica helped me navigate all the way through Oregon from Portland to Medford in one day, and then took over driving all the way back to San Francisco the next day. I had a really great time on the trip, and we stopped and took lots of great pictures like this one!

Another one of the pictures from Oregon–a stunning view of Crater Lake.

On 9/9/2006 in downtown Portland, Oregon, a long line formed under the scaffolding at the “open during construction” Macy’s store. Questioned why she was waiting in line, the lady at the front told me they were giving away gift certificates. Then the stares and the “are you gonna move” inquiries began, and I carefully backed away from the front door, through the windows of which I could see the massed, overdressed staff ready to start the day.

In other news Paris was arrested after attending a party Dave Navarro gave for “brain tumors”. http://tinyurl.com/enyhg and was sabatoged http://tinyurl.com/ewz3o all in one week!! Can’t wait to see what she has in store this week 🙂

Jessica and I had dinner up in the northwest area of Portland and then stopped by downtown later in the evening–I took a photo of the Pioneer Courthouse Square and its late evening visitors.
[photo taken 9/8/2006]

Gordon Brown will be Prime Minister of Britain within one year. The actual date is the stuff of opaque Westminster maneuvering, but the plan is for Tony Blair to leave 10 Downing Street before the end of 2007, so it is time to consider the man that will govern America’s closest ally until at least 2009. Brown is a Scottish member of parliament who has served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer for Britain since Blair took power in 1997. From that position Brown has held enormous sway over domestic policy, managing the budget and tax process. While Blair’s foreign policy has become enormously unpopular, with Iraq and Afghanistan both straining the resources of British armed forces, Britain has seen an uninterrupted period of economic growth and stability under Brown. Consider the growth trends in America in the last 5 years as compared to Britain, in the second chart: Gordon Brown has managed to help maintain stability and growth in Britain even while raising some taxes and pouring large amounts of money into government spending to improve the NHS and other essential public services. Certainly his tenure has seen some controversies about efficiency of new spending and the tax credit system, and America’s growth is now at a higher rate than Britain’s, but after the ERM disaster and other economic problems under John Major and Margaret Thatcher what the British economy has seen under Brown has been a great improvement. Would Brown provide as effective leadership on foreign policy and other prime ministerial duties as he has on the economy? Many expect a major departure from many of Blair’s policies but this is far from certain. The reality is that Brown may be more “Euro-sceptic” and more pro-American than Blair. And that means something–if Blair has any real vision for Britain’s future (other than him hanging out with celebrities) it is Britain as a loyal, protected crony of America. Brown may decide that this deal has gone so far along that there is no point in trying to reverse it. One major benefit of Brown replacing Blair is that it might revive the Labour party in the polls. Brown is just as “New Labour” as Blair but he does not have the level of lost trust with the British people that Blair has suffered over Iraq. Many are tired of Blair’s constant moralizing and hype and spin. Clownish, authoritarian fear mongering and overzealousness and fealty to the Bush administration (like the infamous “forty-five minutes” and the shootings of Jean Charles de Menezes and Mohammed Abdul Kahar as well as the Downing Street Memo) has often gone too far and Brown may at least moderate that problem, perhaps simply to due to electoral considerations. His dour style also may not complement George W. Bush the way Blair does at media events. Labour has built a powerful electoral machine that has won three consecutive elections, and whatever other political reasons factored in, it is because they offer the best alternative for the British people. Gordon Brown should be a model to the Democrats as they try to build a sustainable and popular domestic platform to win the House and Senate back. [photo: AFP via Yahoo; chart of US GDP growth: web.stratfor.com; chart of Britain GDP growth (unlabeled): statistics.gov.uk]

If you haven’t been to Oregon, you have to go! Dan and I visited Portland, Mt. Hood, Crater Lake and Medford.

• Portland is an up-and-coming city for young people, though we can’t quite figure what the main industry is there in terms of jobs and working.
• Mt. Hood is spectacular–as you can see by Dan’s photo–and the surrounding area of orchards is charming. Some local girls at a Seattle’s Best coffee shop recommended the Alpine Slide at the backside of Mt. Hood. It’s a Fiberglass slide, about 200 feet long, and you slide down it on a little “sled.”
• Crater Lake is mind-blowing. Once a majestic volcano, it imploded and sunk into the ground below, creating a crater. Over the years, the giant crater filled with snow and rain, and it’s now the deepest lake in the U.S. The national park that it’s in has lots of camping and hiking spots, and the views from every angle are breathtaking.
• Medford was a little halfway town (in my opinion) with lots of fast food restaurants and strip malls. We did find the Dutch Brothers coffee stand, which had rockin‘ coffee and quick drive-up service. Medford is about 10 miles north of Ashland, OR, home to Southern Oregon University and Shakespeare festivals.

Jessica and I bought some fresh country apples near the base of Mount Hood on our way through Oregon, and then continued down through Crater Lake National Park with its steep edges and smoke from the current “naturally occurring controlled” forest fire. On this drive back from Seattle we stayed in the buzzing yet relaxed city of Portland the first night and Medford in the Rogue Valley the next night, and we just got back to San Francisco.