Here's a mixed post.

First, we have evidence that Keith Ellison is a pretty sharp guy. Guess which Koran he's going to use for his swearing in?

Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, found himself under attack last month when he announced he'd take his oath of office on the Koran -- especially from Virginia Rep. Virgil Goode, who called it a threat to American values.

Yet the holy book at tomorrow's ceremony has an unassailably all-American provenance. We've learned that the new congressman -- in a savvy bit of political symbolism -- will hold the personal copy once owned by Thomas Jefferson.
...
Goode, who represents Jefferson's birthplace of Albemarle County, had no comment yesterday.

Did this guy go to UVa or something? That was a sharp move. Hopefully in two years we'll be taking Goode down, he's gotten the negative attention of the Kossacks over this one, and that could really bite him in the ass. I wish they had given Al Weed more attention in the last round, but oh well.

Second topic - LiebesBush is a liar. Also from Kos we have a link to the Horse's mouth about the impression GOP Rep Susan Collins got from her trip to Iraq that she shared with old Joe. She talked with the same people, went to the same meetings, etc. Well, remember when Joe said the generals told him we needed escalation while cupping Bush's balls? Well, not so true if Collins' account is right:

In Basra, we met with British commanders who talked about the declining "consent line" -- that is, when the British first arrived, their presence was welcomed by the population, but as time has gone on, their presence is less and less tolerated.

Needless to say, there was much discussion in all of our meetings -- whether with Iraqi leaders, American or British commanders, or rank-and-file troops -- about whether or not more American troops are needed. My conclusion is that it would be a mistake to send more troops to Baghdad. Prime Minister Maliki did not welcome the prospect of more American troops and indeed seemed frustrated that he did not have more control over his own troops. One American general told me that a jobs program in Baghdad would do more good than additional troops...

The one region where an American commander, General Kilmer, did specifically express the need for more troops was in Anbar province. General Kilmer told us that he could use another brigade (about 3,000 troops) or even two to build on the positive developments in the region. I agree with his assessment, but think that a reallocation of troops, rather than an overall increase, could meet his need.

Maybe in two years we'll pick up some more Dem seats so we can kick that mole out of the party. I'm really starting to hate his guts. I mean escalation? C'mon.

Labels: assholes, escalation, Lieberman, virgil goode