Just now topping The New York Times' web site is a report from Afghanistan with the scare headline:

"AFGHAN WAR ESCALATES WITH WORST TALIBAN RAID IN 6 YEARS."

The story opens:" Taliban insurgents mounted their most serious attacks in six years of fighting in Afghanistan over the last two days, including a coordinated assault by at least 10 suicide bombers against one of the largest American military bases in the country, and another by about 100 insurgents who killed 10 elite French paratroopers."

On Friday August 15 the Bush administration sent Condoleezza Rice to meet with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili as a "show of U.S. support."  Yikes.  They sent Condi?  Talk about giving somebody the goodbye look.  If this were a Marty Scorsese movie, Saakashvili would have been sleeping with the fishes come Saturday morning.  You'd think Keystone Kondi would have lent sufficient slapstick to the Georgian situation, but no.  Adding to the antics, John McCain announced on Friday August 15 that he would send along as his personal representatives Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham, the Bea Arthur and Betty White of neoconservatism.  Then, to cap things off, McCain himself dropped the atomic punchline: "In the twenty-first century, nations don't invade other nations."

You could hear irony clawing at its coffin lid.  

Getting past all the meaningless political talk it gets hard to really make sense of what just occurred in the Georgia-Russian war. We all know the superficial details as they have been presented, Georgia first invaded Ossetia to re establish it's dominion over what was originally a part of its sovereignty. Ossetia is on record stating its preference to Russian rule. So Georgia invades and things are going as planned when Russia counter invades with an over whelming force. A force apparently waiting for a Georgian invasion of Ossetia. The USA has been reported to have actually encouraged the Georgian incursion. The USA, Israel and a few other nations have been training and supplying arms to the Georgian military. Russia after repelling Georgian troops in Ossetia then continues on into Georgia itself.

Ilona Meagher has just posted on her blog site, PTSD Combat: Winning the War Within, an outstanding collection of links and a few video's on what the subject title describes "Art For, By And About Veterans Begins Sunday" and the link just above will take you to it.

It is Sunday.  I open my Washington Post, B Section, and on the inside is a piece with a long introduction by Josh White, explaining of his long interest in a man originally known as Detainee #261, who tried to kill himself when his lawyer stepped out of the room, whom the U. S. long asserted was a dangerous terrorist who had tried to recruit others and who was arrested in Afghanistan, where he had ostensibly gone to fight for the Taliban.   And yet, despite having been held  at Gitmo since January 2002 and having been subjected to brutal treatment,

Nevertheless, he was never charged with a crime, never admitted any connection to terrorism and was ultimately released to Saudi Arabia in July 2007.

White has stayed in touch with the man, whose real name is Jumah al Dossari.  And the bulk of the piece are his words, and they are entitled I'm Home, but Still Haunted by Guantanamo.  Remember, he was in the custody of our government, held and mistreated by our personnel.  This was done in our name.  And miraculously, he offers no bitterness in his words.

The REPUBLICAN congressional years 1994 - 2006 (and 2000-2008 President Bush years) will be remembered for all they've accomplished...

Seven year war in Afghanistan, 5 year war in Iraq with close to 660 billion dollars spent, part of which we now owe China to pay for them.

North Korea, Iran and now Russia, are all greater powers then before the GOP took control of government. Pakistan with nukes is about to lose their (U.S. picked) leader. China is now listed as having the most manufacturing companies in the world.

Special Election Briefing: 5 Things You Should Know

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org

MoveOn.org presents this production with a desire to seek donations.  This self-proclaimed "Progressive" organization hopes to advance the Democratic candidate, and look for dollars to do so.  In essence, MoveOn would wish the public to think that if we advocate for Barack Obama then the Party platform will be fulfilled.  As one who does not necessarily see these two entities as equivalent, I offer this audio-visual presentation more as a tool to inform than a request for a contribution.  

I know it’s getaway Friday and during midsummer no one wants to be bothered by disturbing news.  But while all of us are trying to head somewhere relaxing, there’s a potentially big war brewing in the former Soviet republic of Georgia.

Beyond what is intrinsically disturbing about this, the Russian invasion of Georgia itself and how the Bush administration in its macho may be contributing to the incitement of the Russians who want to demonstrate that even though they “lost” the Cold War they still have a world-class military that needs to be reckoned with, beyond these geopolitical and nationalistic issues is the slaughter of innocent Georgians who I suppose the Russians consider “collateral damage.”

It was almost exactly ten years ago that President Bill Clinton was accused of "wagging the dog".  Two U.S. embassies in Africa, in Nairobi and in Dar Es Salaam were bombed and the attacks were quickly linked to Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.  Clinton responded by launching cruise missile attacks against targets in Sudan and Afghanistan.

Of course, this was in the middle of the ludicrous so-called "scandal" about Monica Lewinsky and Clinton was accused of attempting to divert attention from that to a foreign crisis.  When the attacks apparently failed to take out terrorist targets, despite their having been recommended by military experts, the press was giddy with charges of "wag the dog".  There was even a movie that came out later entitled, if I recall correctly, "Wag the Dog".

So what's going on now?  The appearance of foreign crises that maybe are designed to help the GOP candidate.

I've been involved in a sort of debate re:  Afghanistan policy.  Some people think an escalation of the war is a good idea; others not so much.  When I posted my contribution to the discussion, a friend asked that I make it public.  Here it is:

This is so hard.

I served in the USMC for four years and remember bootcamp well.  It wasn't an intensive course in moral philosophy; we were primarily taught to kill and encouraged to enjoy it.

I was young when I joined.  Less than 2 months past 17.  Most of my peers were within 2 or three years of me.

I remember marching past platoons of WM's (women marines).  Our drill instructors would lead our platoon in rhythmic chants about the virtues of hair pie.  The service I was a part of was filled with benign racists... Irishman from Boston and good ol' boys from Kentucky and Mississippi.  We were integrated by day, but everyone knew that Sunday night was black night at the E-club...  And no blacks (or hispanics for that matter) spent a lot of time at our keg parties and bonfires out in the woods.

Cross-Posted At Democrashield

Right now, Fox News is asking me "Which candidate is better handling the Georgia conflict?"

The growing consensus in the media seems to be that it's John McCain.  But, if you look at what's going on, it becomes immediately clear that Georgia is a losing issue for McCain.

Let's take a look at why...

Tonight, we remember:

Sgt. Jose E. Ulloa, 23, of New York, New York, killed by an IED in Iraq.

Sgt. Kenneth B. Gibson, 25, of Christiansburg, Virginia, killed by an IED in Iraq.

Pvt. John A. Mattox, 23, of Daingerfield, Texas who died of injuries from a non-combat related incident in Afghanistan.

We also welcome home Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Manuel R. Denton, U.S. Navy of Kerrville, Texas who was killed in a helocopter crash during a search and rescue mission over Quang Nam Province, Vietnam on October 8, 1963.

This is really as low as you can go.

While State Senator Debbie Halvorson and husband Jim Bush are with their severely injured son at Walter Reed, her millionaire opponent Marty Ozinga decides to attack her with nasty robocalls into the Illinois 11th Congressional District.

Captain Jay Bush is in the Special Forces.  He was severely injured late last week when the truck he was riding on came under attack. He jumped out of the truck on a bridge and fell 20 feet to rocks below. I believe he has broken his back and neck.  

Last week, I traveled to Afghanistan to get a firsthand perspective of the situation on the ground. I arranged the trip with help from the University of Nebraska-Omaha’s Center for Afghanistan Studies. The center is one of the foremost resources in our country for information and expertise regarding Afghanistan. I spent about a week in the country, and met with Afghans, Americans, and others who are dealing day-to-day with the delicate situation in this volatile region.

Tonight we celebrate the lives of Petty Officer Second Class Anthony M. Carbullido, 25, Guam and Master Sergeant Danny E. Maybin, 47, of Columbia , SC.  In the days since their deaths were announced by the DoD, they’ve been remembered by friends and colleagues with loving, glowing memories, as unselfish leaders, always making sure people knew they were there for them...no matter what.

Please join twilight falling and me as we mourn their loss and pay tribute to their remarkable service and character.

Last week, Captain Jay Bush, the son of Senator Debbie Halvorson and husband Jim Bush was severly injured in Afghanistan.  Captain Bush serves in the US Army's Special Forces.

Jay was leading his Special Forces Unit on a night mission when he fell more than 20 feet severely injuring his back and neck.

"It's 1938 and Iran is Germany" (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/787766.html). Thus spoke Likud boss Benjamin Netanyahu, with a degree of hawkish-ness that most other civilized world leaders dare not attain to. Yet the war-hungry, bloodthirsty Netanyahu is not exactly more than a standard deviation away from the mean on the hawk scale. In fact, we are now living in the age of the warhawk.

These hearts were woven of human joys and cares,
Washed marvellously with sorrow, swift to mirth.
The years had given them kindness. Dawn was theirs,
And sunset, and the colours of the earth.
These had seen movement, and heard music; known
Slumber and waking; loved; gone proudly friended;
Felt the quick stir of wonder; sat alone;
Touched flowers and furs and cheeks. All this is ended.

There are waters blown by changing winds to laughter
And lit by the rich skies, all day. And after,
Frost, with a gesture, stays the waves that dance
And wandering loveliness. He leaves a white
Unbroken glory, a gathered radiance,
A width, a shining peace, under the night.

~ Rupert Brooke
 The Dead, 1921